Black Cat
by CloudySky1827
Summary: Setsuno Akira, a somewhat short and feminine girl, was bullied nonstop because of her "demonic glowing yellow eyes." But to Izuki Shun, her eyes were beautiful, and crystal clear. An entrancing sight that lured him to his life's eternal happiness. But what will happen when a certain rich boy intervenes to take love for himself? Fem!Oc x (Izuki/Akashi/Kuroko)
1. Chapter 1

Story picture is of OC, after a haircut. Before haircut appearances:

Height: about 5'3"  
Weight: 118  
Hair color: Black, part: in middle; later: part from left to right as seen in picture.  
Eye color: bright yellow  
likes: pickles, dogs, spiders, food, GoM, basketball, music, winter, Izuki.  
dislikes: bitter foods, cats(bad experiences), heat, over crowded areas.  
Birthday: March 31st.

"Don't come here. Black cats bring bad luck," one said, backing away and snickering.

"Demon!" another one called.  
"Just look at those eyes. They're like portals to the underworld," one commented.

I kept my head down, my eyes averted. Even after wearing colored contacts, I was still teased. It wasn't the fact they teased me that upset me. I was called an escaped demon from Hell to punish them. Where they got such an absurd idea from is unknown. Whatever started it - whoever, created a chain reaction. It used to be just a nickname of the "Black Cat," sometimes with the adjective of Unlucky in front. It became the "scary girl" soon enough. And finally, "Hell's demon." Teachers wouldn't even say anything about it. They knew very well how my eyes seemed to glow dangerously. Glowing or not, they still barely looked at my eyes. When they did, they stared blankly, almost as if in a trance. When I noticed them, I would look at them back, and we would be staring for a good minute before someone called out - me being a witch or something. Locking someone in a trance. I only stared because I admired their normal-looking eyes. I hated mine. I wished they would leave me alone when I put colored contacts in. There was no escape, no support, and no sort of help from anyone when they pointed at me and called me spawns of Hell. It eventually died back down to "Cat" thankfully.

I guess, in my 3rd year of middle school, I was finally granted a savior.

"Come on, let's go to the basketball court," a boy who had short and spiky hair with glasses.  
"Alright, alright, Hyuga." The other sighed. He instantly brightened up starting," you know..!"  
"Shut up Izuki. I don't want to hear any puns," 'Hyuga' groaned.  
"But -"  
"No." Izuki slumped and I couldn't help but smile at the situation. They walked to the door of our new room.  
Izuki looked around the room, looking at posters and for familiar people. I watched him glide through the room easily, head up and smiling. He scanned through people's faces and came to see me, or somewhere around me I hoped. I sat near the front so I couldn't hope he thought he saw something strange. He cocked his head curiously.  
"Setsuno-san?" He called out. I was already looking down at my food, too nervous to eat. I bit my lip, awaiting the barrage of teasings.  
"man those are some amazing eyes there.. I've never seen them up close.." He started. My eyes snapped open widely and I shut them tightly afterwards. I turned my head away from him. "Ah. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Those eyes really are amazing though. In my opinion, at least. They're very pretty," he said. At this, I opened my eyes, then realized he was just making fun of me.  
"I would appreciate it if you don't make fun of me," I said quietly. "Making fun of? Quite the opposite. Didn't you hear me? I said I liked them," he said, trying to defend himself.  
"No one finds them 'pretty,' though?" I questioned.  
"I don't care if you believe me or not, your eyes are really something." He said looking at them more clearly after I lifted me head up. He was kneeling on the floor, his elbows and forearms resting on my desk and his head on his arm, looking up at me.

"Izuki! Stop flirting with girls! Let's go!" A second one called after Hyuga.  
"Alright, alright!" He shouted, repeating what he said moments ago.  
"I'll talk to you later," Izuki waved to me. I bit my lip and looked up at him.  
"Izuki-san!" I called out while standing. I flinched, not expecting myself to have such a loud voice. Izuki turned around, a smile on his face. "Yes, Setsuno-san?" He asked. I inmediatey went red, too embarrassed.  
"I- uh.. Sorry. Never mind.." I began muttering and sat down sheepishly.  
"Setsuno-san? Do you perhaps want to come play with us? Basketball, that is?" He offered. I blushed at the accuracy of his question. I nodded a bit and looked up at him. He smiled even wider. "Well, let's go, then! There's one three of us, so if you join, we can have a 2v2 game!" He said.  
I smiled at his friendliness, lost in his charisma and stood up, waking towards him. He grabbed my hand and left the room quickly.  
"You're too slow! I can already hear Hyuga mentally yelling at me to hurry up!" He laughed. I looked at his happy face, and immediately felt calm just looking at him smile. I ran along with him, not realizing that we were holding hands until we got to the courts.  
"Izuki.. You got yourself a girl already? It's only been a few months into school." Someone shook his head. "It's February," Izuki laughed.  
I was a little out of breath and bowed, greeting myself. "Uhm.. I'm Setsuno, and not Izuki-san's girlfriend. Please allow me to play with you three." I asked.  
"Sure. Why do you have to ask?" Hyuga asked.  
"Setsuno? The cat lady?" The other contemplated.  
I flinched. Being with that guy.. Why.. Why did it make me forget..?  
"Ah.. Maybe.. I should go back in and study.. Sorry for wasting your time.." I said nervously. I turned around, about to go back, but Izuki stopped me.  
"What about our game?" He asked.  
"Uh.. Sorry." I backed away, looking at him mysteriously and accusingly. I looked at him for a bit longer before spinning around and running back inside.  
"Wait! Setsuno-san!" He shouted.

I kept running, ignoring him. I eventually got back to my classroom and sat down. I put my arms down on my desk and felt something squish. Alarmed, I looked down and saw my sandwich that I left out flattened out by my arm. I sighed, unwrapping the sandwhich I forgot about because of that guy. I bit into the bread, then meat, then vegetable, and Gods the pickle, then the bread again - a satisfying feel as eating had become a stress relief for me. I ate quietly and quickly, trying to take my books out with one hand.  
A minute later, Izuki had come walking through the doors, a little out of breath. He looked at me and walked solely towards me, keeping a straight and stern face. "Why did you leave, Setsuno-san?" He asked.  
"..I probably will just get in the way of your game.." I muttered, taking another bite.  
"Why do you think that?"  
"I don't know.. somehow.. my presence would probably hinder you guys from having a good time," I reasoned. I looked up at him and he had a shocked face, eyes widened and mouth slightly parted, about to protest but he had nothing to say in my favor. I looked back down after realizing I was too expectant.  
"That's.. why do you think that?" He stuttered.  
"Every time I play a game like that, the one who messes up always blames me, saying 'her eyes are too creepy I can't concentrate!' or the like," I said back to him. I took another bite, also taking a mouthful of my long black hair dangling around my face. I used my index finger to fish one strands out of my mouth.  
"Do you want a rubber band?" He asked. I shook my head in response subtly.  
"Why do you let it just be like that, if it gets in the way while you eat or something?"  
"It shields my eyes," I replied, already exceeding a record for how long I could hold a conversation with someone, even though I did not want to, particularly.  
"Why does everyone say your eyes are scary? They're very clear and glassy like a cat's," he commented, inspecting my eyes closely again. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as he leaned closer to me. I leaned back into my chair.  
"Izuki-san."  
He flinched, and looked at me, not just the eyes.  
"Please leave," I said quietly.  
"Eh?"  
"This.. I can't talk for too long with someone. I haven't in too long. I've become tired of talking with people.. They end up leaving the same way anyways. Before I grow comfortable with you, please leave. Go back to your friends waiting for you at their basketball court," I pleaded. He narrowed his eyes and gave an angry look at me.  
"Setsuno," He said in a warning tone. I flinched and immediately starting kicking myself mentally. Yet again did I piss another person off, I thought.  
"Let yourself become comfortable with me, then," he said, going back to his calm and friendly tone. I looked at him in disbelief. for a moment, I almost gave in, almost nodded. But remember what happened last time.. Quickly changing my mind, I shook my head and lowered my head again.  
"Stop being so paranoid."  
I widened my eyes at this and opened my mouth to protest, but no sound came out.  
"Are you? Is that what you're afraid of? That if you become comfortable and I just leave you one day? Betray your trust and friendship?" He pressed.  
"Someone else had done that.. They came into my close circle and became a good 'friend.' But, he wanted nothing more than to just learn more about me and reveal secrets about me that I hadn't told anyone.. I decided to not trust anyone after that," I mumbled.

"Izuki!" a voice called into the room. I looked up at the same time as the boy who was called for. A (somewhat) tall boy wearing glasses.. Hyuga? came calling for Izuki.  
"ah, Setsuno-san.." Hyuga said. I looked at him and nodded my greetings once again.  
"That guy.. (add random name here). He really wanted to say he's sorry. He's from the class next door. He wants to properly apologize to you, so would you go see him? It looked like it was eating him alive," Hyuga sighed.  
"See, Setsuno-san? You're not as hated as you think you are. Just because your eyes are different doesn't give people a right to hate you, you know," He reassured. I looked at Izuki hopefully. I nodded and stood. Hyuga led me to the other class where the familiar boy sat nervously.  
"Just go in, he'll jump right at you," Hyuga said.  
"..Thanks, Hyuga-san." I said, smiling at him a bit. He smiled politely back. I headed inside, and as was told, was immediately called out to. I turned towards him and stopped quickly, as he was already in my face.  
"Uh.. I'm so very sorry about before! I didn't know it was a sensitive topic! It's just that that was all I heard for a while when your name was mentioned so it became natural for me," He blabbered, trying to reason coherently.  
"It's okay," I interrupted. He stopped and looked instantly relieved.  
"Thank you for forgiving me, I was really starting to feel bad about it," he said.  
"It's no problem. I'm used to it anyways. I'll be going back to my class now," I said while turning around.

Still at my desk, I saw Izuki kneeling on the floor.  
"So?" He smiled, already knowing. I tried to frown at him, but it came out lopsided.  
"I don't get you," I said, sighing and sitting down, continuing to eat my sandwich. I looked down, confused. At the bread, there was a green stain, from old pickle juice.  
"Uh.." I started. I looked at Izuki. He was already grinning mischievously. I then recalled to when Hyuga told Izuki that he didn't want to hear any puns.  
"Is anything the matter?" He asked hopefully. I already knew what was coming next and laughed before he could tell me.  
"Don't even start with the 'in a pickle' joke," I said, giggling. He looked at me dumbfounded.  
"Ehhh? You saw through it?" He frowned sadly. He looked like a kicked puppy.  
"Well, where is it?" I asked, still smiling.  
"..so you're still in a pickle?"  
"God," I sighed. He laughed at my reaction and I couldn't help but to sigh contently either.  
"It's right there," he pointed, while standing up. As he said, there was a lump covered up in tinfoil. I unwrapped it and there laid the kidnapped pickle.  
"I'm not bringing pickles anymore," I said, placing it back into its rightful place. Izuki stood where he was, rubbing his knees.  
"Well, why don't you bring your lunch with you and come play basketball with us?" He offered once again.  
"Eh? How will I play and eat at the same time?"  
"You eat, then play?"  
"Won't I vomit?" I scrunched my face up in disgust. He shrugged.  
"You're eating a sandwich. It's not heavy or anything," He said.  
"Well, I'm almost done with it, so I'll just finish up quickly now," I said, then starting taking larger bites.  
"Now _that's_ how you'll vomit. Take it slow, there's no need to rush," He laughed. As he offered, I chewed slower, jaws already tired.

After a minute of quick eating and warnings to eat slower, I finished and we made our way to the courts. When we arrived, we grabbed a ball and went to the empty court.  
"ah. I forgot to invite the others," Izuki said.  
"Good job," I sighed.  
"Why don't you go in and get them, if you want?" I said. "unless you want me to?"  
"It's fine. It'll be just us two, then," he said.  
"Sorry to disappoint." I said, rolling my eyes in a joking manner.  
"I'll be disappointed at the easy win!" He said, starting already.  
"Wha- wait!" I said, running after him while he was dribbling. He ran up the lane and threw the ball into the hoop.  
"There's two points for me!" He said triumphantly. I frowned, and we prepared for each other again. I was dribbling the ball this time and Izuki guarded the hoop. I charged at him and stopped immediately, pivoting my foot to jump backwards and shoot midair with a high arc. Izuki watched the ball fall into the hoop without grazing the sides at all. He whistled and went to get the ball.  
"Where's the furthest you can throw from?" he asked, tossing the ball to me. I shrugged, taking a few steps back and shot again. It hit the back, but ricocheted right back in. He tossed it to me again. I stepped back, repeating the process. When the ricochet became more violent, I decided to go for higher arced shots.

After about seven more shots, I started missing. After those seven shots, Izuki pulled his phone out, and flipped it open.  
"Crap, it's almost time for class to start!" He said, putting the phone away and tossing the ball into the bin we got it from.  
"Let's go!" He said, pulling my arm with him.

We skidded into the classroom, out of breath and sat down, just barely able to catch our breath when the bell rang, signaling the next class to start. I felt warm and sticky from sweat, rubbing my sleeve across my forehead and wiping off the sweat.  
"Was that you shooting hoops outside?" A guy asked me from the front. I froze up at the unfamiliar voice, but nodded a little. He snickered and I felt my heart sink already.  
"Of course the Cat can take such accurate shots," He snorted. I quickly looked down into my lap. My fists were balled up into a fist.  
_"When did I start protesting again..?__" _Usually, my hands were never a fist when I was made fun of.  
_"Why are eyes even something to make fun of?"_ I thought. I glanced back and to my left a little and saw the friendly black-haired teen yawning and talking to Hyuga. I felt myself loosen up and breathed out hot air. I went to my bag and looked through it. I took textbooks out and my notebook. The next hour of English passed by slowly, as I was doodling unconsciously on the sides of my notes.  
"..tsuno"  
I continued drawing, not paying attention.  
"Setsuno," the teacher called out, and I jumped, squeaking audibly.  
"Tests are coming up. Please pay attention," He warned. He was about to turn, but then looked back at me.  
"You're never distracted.. Keep your head for your final months here," the teacher advised. I sighed, my chest feeling tight with embarrassment. I focused on the rest of the lesson afterwards.

The bell rang twice more in two hours, as we shifted into our last period of the day.

I walked the halls in silence and solitude, but was soon interrupted. I  
"Seeetttssssssunooooo-saaaaan?" a voice called right by my ear. I jumped and shrieked in fear of the voice so close. I saw Izuki laughing there, tearing up from laughing and I placed a hand on my chest, heart beating fast (Is that scare the only reason? owo - Author).  
"My god, Izuki," I sighed.  
"ooh I'm a god?" He said, still chuckling.  
"Ugh, I'm so done with your nonsense," I said, turning around.  
"If that's the case, then why have you acted so normally and happily today? The day I finally talked to you?" He said, smiling and cocking his head, as he did when he first talked to me. My eyes widened at the realization of this and I remained silent. My palms felt sweaty and I was embarrassed. I barely breathed and I looked down, keeping it down. I shut my eyes tightly and I clenched my arms closer to my chest, waiting for him to leave. After a little, I opened my eyes and he was still standing there, that kind smile still plastered on his face.  
"You're one of the only people who has talked to me like a comrade without staring in disgust at me. And.." I trailed off.  
"And..?" He pressed.  
"..it's nothing.. Just that you're super easy to talk to and relax around," I confessed.  
"Oh thanks.. after all, what good is it to be scared around your God?" He chuckled again. At this, I couldn't laugh, still feeling tight in my chest area. He looked at me and sighed.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything. I just like the way you are when you're happy," He said, smiling that wretched smile again while putting a large and reassuring hand on my shoulder.  
"..thank you.. for talking to me," I said, rushing past him, back to our class.  
"Ah? Wait, Setsuno-san!" He called after me.


	2. Chapter 2

I walked into the classroom, fidgety and nervously sat back into my seat. I put my head down, knowing that when Izuki came back in, he'd say something to me again. As expected, Izuki came rushing into the class after me and made his way towards me.  
"Setsuno-san," He started. I didn't budge, too afraid. He got stuck at behind a little web of chattering students. He grunted, trying to get past. I felt a sharp kick from behind an yelped. I turned around, looking at the student.  
"There's someone talking to you. Stop trying to fish for attention and pity and just answer him," He said. I blushed and kept my head where it was, no longer feeling any reason to move.  
"Did you hear me?" He threatened. My eyesight blurred over and I felt one side clear up and then the other, feeling my cloth on my arm become wet. I began sniffling and blinked harshly, clearing my eyes of tears.  
"Setsu-" he started. But the student had already beaten him to it. The student picked my up by the back of my shirt and I grunted in pain and surprise, the collar choking me.  
"You little shit, thinking you can just ignore me? I'm being a good person and here you go, just ignoring everyone. You think you have a special pass to ignore people? Because you're _special_?" He taunted.  
_I never thought that.._ I thought to myself.  
"Hey!" Izuki called out, trying to pry my cloth from his hands. The other kept his nails dug into my shirt though and as Izuki pulled him off, a piece of my shirt tore off with him. I blushed and covered my back immediately and turned around. I looked at my seat to see if I had my blazer with me. I panicked when I saw my empty chair, remembering that I left it at home because I did not want it(hates warm weather/being hot). I kept my hand back there and hoped my hair would do the rest of the job. I looked at Izuki, who was glaring at the other person. I put my hand on his forearm, tugging on his shirt.

"Izuki, it's fine," I said. Izuki looked at me and sighed.

"Just go sit down," the basketball player said to the other. Izuki then turned to me and looked at my face. He frowned and pulled his sleeve up to his thumb, rubbing the corners of my eyes.

"Why were you crying?" He asked quietly. Mu lowered my head in response, not wanting to tell him.  
"Why won't you tell me?" He lowered his head and angled it to look at my face. I turned away again. He sighed and he patted my head.  
"If it's what I said, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything to offend you," he tried to reason. He walked around me and moved my hair out of the way. I yelped and covered my back, blushing. I felt where the hole was and it was exposing my undergarments. I cursed for not wearing an extra layer under my clothes. He left me alone and had gone outside. I sighed, troubled now by the fact that he hates me. I sat down, staying in a position I knew my hair would cover my back. A minute later, Izuki came back in with and came directly to me again. I looked at him, expecting to see a glare or at least the remains of one. Instead, he had an emotionless face on and held out his blazer. I looked at the black jacket in surprise.  
"Put it on, for today," he said. I hesitatingly reached out for it, but he took back the jacket in time.  
"You can only have it if you tell me what I did to make you upset," he said, holding the jacket to his side and out of my reach. I retracted my hand, once again deceived.  
"There's only an hour left of school.." I said, turning back around to face the front of the room. Izuki grunted and he sighed again.  
"Fine. Take it anyways, then. If you refuse to tell me anything, I won't bother with you anymore," He warned. I bit my lip nervously, contemplating whether or not I should tell him.. Tomorrow..maybe..  
"It's now or never," He interrupted my thought. My jaw clenched up and I looked at him sadly. He stood there and instantly smiled, knowing he got his way already before I said anything. I stood up and held his arm as I took him outside into the hall with me.

"How are you making me do all this? No one has bothered with me for more than ten minutes," I said, agitated. Izuki was taken back, not expecting a question like that.  
"What do you mean? I just talked to you," he said. I shook my head.  
"Even now, it's rare I even talk this much at home with my mother."  
"That's not what we came out to talk about. Tell me why you were upset."  
"Because... you talked to me like a friend and didn't make fun of me the moment you saw my eyes up close. I got lost in your friendliness, forgetting that I had to keep my place and not expose myself so broadly. Yet in the end, you mocked me anyways for almost opening up to you," I said, already sniffling.  
"But I wasn't mocking you," he countered.  
"Then what was with that ridiculously mocking statement?" I said louder, balling my hands into fists.  
"It was really only a question. I only wanted to know if you were actually happy around me. If you were, maybe I would talk to you more, but if you didn't, then I would leave you alone."  
I immediately shook my head fiercely before I knew what I was feeling.

"So you don't hate my company?" He confirmed. I paused before shaking my head again, slowly. He smiled, relieved and pulled me into a hug. I tensed up already flailing around. He rested his chin on top of my head despite the struggle.  
"I'm sorry for upsetting you."  
I felt the vibrations of his voice ringing as my pulled my face closer to his chest. I calmed down as his heartbeat became audible and the vibrations of his voice kept ringing throughout his chest. He let go in a couple of seconds and I looked back up at his face quickly. He was calm and happy once again, smiling. I kept looking at his face unconsciously and frowned a little. He chuckled slightly and pulled me into another hug.  
"You're more like a dog rather than a cat, you know? Your facial expressions really tell more about what you're feeling more than anything else," he said, still laughing. At this, I finally realized what gave it away and pushed him away, scurrying quickly back to my desk in the classroom with a red face. I heard a faint and familiar laughter outside and I immediately wanted to kill myself in embarrassment.

"Izuki, why're you laughing to yourself like that alone? You look like a psychopath," Hyuga said as he walked in. Izuki followed him after, rubbing tears from his eyes. He stopped in front of my desk, looking at me, then laughed again. I frowned uncomfortably. And he came by, ruffled my hair and left again, leaving my messy. I looked at my desk, a black jacket there without me even realizing it. I looked at Izuki, who Hyuga was talking to. Izuki looked at me back, smiled and pointed to his back, then the jacket. I put the jacket on and was overwhelmed by the scent, though it was faint. It smelled of a bit of sweat and cologne. It made me think back to a minute ago when he was embracing me and I wanted to rip the jacket apart. I cleared my throat, clearing my mind at the same time and took out a textbook from my desk and opened it up.

* * *

As the bell rang once more to signal the end of the school day, I went to the shoe lockers where I changed my shoes. I found Izuki and walked up to him, taking off the jacket.  
"Thank you," I said, handing the jacket to him.  
"Hm? Oh, just keep it for the rest of the day," He said, waving it off.  
"But-"  
"It's fine. You can just get it back to me tomorrow morning."  
"Are you sure?"  
"It's no big deal," he smiled. I 'okay'ed him and I left the school, still wearing the jacket.

I walked into my house, lights on and I was met with a flurry of footsteps, then a fluffy white dog running at me, and leaping at me.  
"Hi, Kou!" I giggled as the white Samoyed licked my face. It gave a smile, as I recalled to its nickname of "smily sam." I rubbed the area between its ears and it rolled over, signaling me to rub his belly. I obliged, rubbing his belly heartily. He got up and started sniffing my curiously. He sniffed the jacket for a minute, confused.  
_"Ah, he's getting Izuki's scent confused with mine,"_ I laughed. I took the jacket off and made my way up to my room, my dog following close behind. I hung the jacket up behind my door and stripped myself of the ripped shirt. I put it on my bed as I put on a T-shirt from my closet and put a pair of pants on while taking my skirt off. I fell onto my bed on my back, my dog then joining me. Kou circled around me, then sat on my stomach. It curled up into a while ball and scratched itself with his leg. I helped him and scratched the area behind his ear for him. He panted contently and yawned in a high-pitched voice. He licked his lips, then moved up to near my face, and curled up again, sleeping this time. I watched his body rise up and down with each breath. I smiled and got up quietly, moving to my desk. I heard my phone vibrate audibly. Kou sat up, fully awake, jumping off the bed clumsily and poking my bag with his nose.  
I picked the bag up and took my phone out as Kou whimpered. I smiled at Kou, ruffling his fur and picked up my phone.  
"Aki-chan?"  
"Yes, mother?" I replied.  
"You're home? Why didn't you call me?" She asked.  
"Sorry, Kou insisted on me playing with him," I said, laughing as the said dog crawled onto my lap, barking at the sound of my mother's familiar voice.  
"Aki? You sound really happy. Did something good happen today?" She asked, and I already heard her voice deforming with the smile forming on her face.  
"..nothing.." I said nervously.  
"You sound nervous. Was it a boy?" She giggled.  
"Mom! It's nothing. It's just Kou's company," I lied.  
"Sure.. We've had Kou for two years already. Why are you sounding happy now?" She asked, suspicious.  
"It's nothing, just I'm in a good mood," I countered.  
"You never talk back with such energy unless you're _reasonably _happy.." She continued.  
"Did you need something?" I sighed, changing the topic.  
"Not really.. Just walk Kou for me, please? I'll be coming home an hour and a half or so," She informed.  
"Okay, work hard, then."  
"Okay. Bye, Aki-chan."  
I shut my phone and placed it on my desk. I started taking out my work from my bag.

After about an hour, I heard Kou whimpering, scratching the wall. I looked away from my last few papers of work and smiled. I took the hair clip out of my hair and took my glasses off. I opened the door to the hall and Kou ran out, running down the stairs. I walked to the closet and got the leash for my dog. Kou was circling at the door, barking happily and scratching the door.  
"okay, okay." I grunted, kneeling down and buckling the leash to the dog's collar. I checked for my phone and keys, and a few bags, then left the house.  
Kou jumped a little, excited. He perked up, then ran in a direction. I yelped, not expecting a sudden burst of speed from the dog.  
"Kou's getting big.." I said, holding back the dog a little. He kept tugging though, and I went along, afraid I would hurt his neck. He started running and I had to tug on the leash and I heard Kou yelp. I frowned and I walked up the dog who was now sitting. I petted his head and scratched his ear, then massaged his neck. He regained his energy again and insisted on our earlier play. I sighed and followed him. Soon, he stopped and barked a little. He looked behind at me, proud. I looked at him confused.

"Setsuno-san?" I jumped and looked up.  
"I-Izuki!"  
"Ah, is this your dog?" He said, smiling and kneeling down. Kou made his way to Izuki. He sniffed the human and sat down in front of him, panting. Izuki laughed and ruffled his head.  
"Yeah.. His name is Kou," I said.  
"Kou?" He smiled. "Kou's kou is ajar," He said. I looked at him, confused.  
"Do you get it?" he said hopefully. I shook my head slowly.  
"'Kou' means mouth in Chinese.. I think," He informed. (It does)  
"o..kay.. I, well, don't really _speak_ Chinese.." I said.  
"haha, neither do I!" He smiled. Kou looked up at him and licked his hand.  
I kneeled next to Izuki and Kou turned to me and leaped onto my lap, licking my face. I laughed, turning away from the dog, but he found my cheek again anyways. I shook my face and the dog jumped to the floor, barking again. My face was all wet by now and I used my arm to rub off some saliva.  
"Setsuno-san, do you live near here?" He asked. I looked at him and nodded.  
"I live right down the street," I said and pointed behind me."Why don't you come over to pick up the jacket?" I asked.  
"Hm? You sure? You can just get it to me tomorrow." He said.  
"Just come get it now before I forget," I said while shaking my head.  
"You just want your God in your home," he said proudly.  
"Bless my humble home," I said, giggling.  
"I shall indeed," he replied, smiling and I turned around, back home with him following.

"Can I hold the leash?" He said suddenly, a minute away from my house.  
"I want to walk him. I love walking dogs," he admitted.  
"Did you, now? God has no wants, though."  
"Man, you're really loosening up around me," he said confidently.  
"No need to get so excited about it. I shouldn't be afraid of my own God right?" I said, quoting him.  
"..you're a clever one."

I laughed and realized we were outside my house already. I watched as a car pulled up the driveway and into the now opening garage.  
"Uh.. Just wait here," I pointed outside the door to my home. "I'll get the jacket."  
I ran in, almost running into my mom.  
"Woah! Where are you going?" She said, grabbing my arm.  
"Room, I just have to get something." I said, and sidestepped her.

I ran into my room, and behind my door was Izuki's jacket. I took the jacket and held it in my arms. As I ran back down the stairs, not wanting Izuki to wait, my mother waited at the bottom.  
"What are you doing?" She asked in a stern voice.  
"Nothing. I'm just returning a jacket to a friend," I said while fixing my hair from the rush up and down the stairs.  
"Hm? Isn't that jacket a bit big for a girl?" She asked.  
"Guy" I corrected and went to the door.  
My mom was about to say something, but I opened the door and Kou barked. I had forgotten him with Izuki.  
"Ah," he started. He then saw my mom and smiled.  
"Hello, I'm Izuki Shun. I'm a friend of Setsuno-san's," he said while bowing to my mother.  
"Eh? Are you the reason why Aki-chan has been so happy today? You certainly seem like the type to be able to make someone happy easily."  
"MOM"

Izuki laughed at my reaction. "Here," I said, handing the jacket to him.  
"Thanks. Have Kou's leash back too," he said, handing the leash back to me. I took the leash and the dog came to me, panting and waiting for a ruffle on the head. I smiled and pet his head, taking the leash off and hanging it on the coat hanger.  
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" My mom offered.  
"Hm? Oh no, it's alright. I've got to get going anyways."  
"Alright, then. Will you be leaving now?" She asked again.  
"Yeah."  
"Aki-chan why don't you go see Izuki-kun off at the corner?" She said, nudging me. I frowned, embarrassed and irritated.  
"Let's go," I said, rushing past Izuki.

The said boy came by me and stood to my right, and yawned.  
"I'm sorry for such an eventful day," I started.  
"It's alright. It was fun anyways," he laughed.  
As we neared the corner, I asked "is this far enough?"  
He walked ahead and turned around, stretching his arms out.  
"What?"  
"you seemed to like them before, so I'll give you a parting hug," he smiled.  
"..no thanks," I said turning around. He came up from behind me, though, and crushed me into his arms. I yelped and put my hands on his arms, trying to pry him off.  
"Izuki!" I yelled. The boy laughed loudly over my yelling. He swung me around a little and I blushed red, weakening already from embarrassment. I slumped, out of energy.

"You. Get embarrassed easily. Your face is very red right now," he pointed out.  
"I know.. So leave me alone!" I tried to push my way out of his embrace with no luck. He only tightened his grip.  
"Why do you keep doing this?!" I grunted.  
"Because you're fun to tease like this," he laughed.

I sighed, out of breath and rested the back of my head on his chest. I felt him shelling over me and I was blanketed with comfort and warmth once again. I squinted and saw my mother peeking over the gate and turning her head towards us. I squirmed uncomfortably, telling Izuki that my mom was watching.  
"It also seems kind of fun to make your mom misunderstand some things like this," he let go of me waved to my mom. She waved back, unashamed.

"Bye, Setsuno-san," he said while waving goodbye.  
"Thank the gods," I said.  
"You're welcome." He flashed a thumbs up. I couldn't help but to laugh a little and I turned around once again, walking back home.  
I looked down, smiling and placed my feet around the cracks and separation of the cement tiles.

"I guess he was the reason for your happiness today?" My mother said, while opening the gate for me.  
"..not really.." I said, mumbling and rushing in.


	3. Chapter 3

(Time skip : about 2 weeks.)

I woke up, startled, as Kou began whimpering. He slept in my room most of the time too, so I had to be the one to calm him down. I looked at the clock, reading it to be 4am, two hours before I actually start getting up and getting ready for school. I groaned, rolling off my bed and looking at Kou, who was still whimpering, pawing at the air and moving his head around in jerky motions. I sat down, and gently held Kou's paw. He woke up suddenly and he looked at me, whining and rubbing against my leg. I smiled and picked him up and placed in my bed. He smiled again and I couldn't help to either. He lied down near my pillow and I climbed in, pulling the blanket over Kou and me. I looked at the dog and he nuzzled his face against my face. His fur was getting in my nose and mouth and I sputtered, laughing. After a while, Kou kept trying to get me to play with him, but I refused, tired. He barked excitedly and I hushed him, not wanting to wake my mother. I groaned, got out of the bed, and sat as my desk, looked over a few notes and groaned again.

"When am I ever going to use this in my life?" I mumbled while I looked through equations for circles with tangents and secants and all that nonsense. I looked behind me, Kou still tucked into the sheets and sleeping away.  
I rested my head on my desk, taking off my glasses. It had only been a minute and I gave up trying. I continued to sleep, cold and barely clothed on my desk.

Two hours later, I heard my alarm clock ring and I woke up groggily. I sniffled, breath heavy and warm. I wobbled to the floor, still light-headed from getting up. As I was about to get up, Kou pounced onto me, knocking me over. I fell against my closet door loudly, and it rattled with the same volume back. A few seconds later, my mom ran into my room, then looked at me, with Kou still licking my face. I groaned, and sniffled again while coughing.  
"Are you sick again? You always get sick so easily," she said in a warning tone. She grabbed my warm hand under Kou and she sighed.  
"How bad do you feel?"  
"Good enough to go to school," I replied. She looked at me with a troubled look.  
"Okay. Quickly get changed then. Eat breakfast slower today," she said, going downstairs quickly to prepare a breakfast.

I stood up and went to the bathroom, locking the dog out. I sighed, and carried on with my usual morning routines. Later, I finished breakfast a little slower and finally left my house. I breathed in the cool air of February and walked to school.

"Good morning, Setsuno-san," Izuki called out to me as I walked through the halls.  
"Ah, good morning," I replied.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, just a bit sick. Don't worry, I didn't get anything contagious on your jacket. I got it over night from lack of warmth," I reassured.  
"..okay.. but that wasn't anything for me to worry about. If it's Setsuno-san, anything is fine," he said while smiling.  
"Why is that?"  
"Just because.." He said while walking ahead. I looked at him, confused and caught up with him later.

I approached my classroom with Izuki and I sat down. Izuki was still talking to me.  
"So are you ready for your tests coming up?" He asked.  
"..Sure."  
"Have you decided which high school you're going to go for?"  
"Well, Seirin is pretty close. I might just stick to that one," I said.  
"Seirin? Really?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"No reason," He said.

"Of course, that's just an unfinished plan," I sighed. I looked at Izuki in wonder. He looked back, a blank face stared back.  
"Izuki, what do you want to be when you're all grown up?"  
"Me? Hm.. I don't quite know yet," He said thoughtfully. He chose his words carefully, still unsure and undecided.  
"What about you?" He asked.  
"I don't really know either," I said.  
"Hm..." Izuki kept musing. He then smiled.  
"What now?"  
"Nothing," He said. He didn't seem to be making any puns, so I didn't know why he was grinning like that.

* * *

After class had ended into our lunch period, I sat still in my seat, taking a packed lunch out and eating.  
"Hey."  
I jumped, not expecting anyone to talk to me. I looked up at Izuki who was smiling again.  
"Do you need something?" I asked.  
"Not really. Just wanted to ask if I could eat lunch with you?"  
"So you did need something. Help yourself. Stay if you want," I said.  
"Cool," He grinned. He grabbed a chair from another table and pulled it around to face me across the desk and sat down, taking out his sandwich.

I ate in silence until he interrupted my thoughts.  
"Do you want to go play basketball again?" He asked while chewing.

"No. Not today. I'm rather tired," I said.  
"Are you okay? You look a little pale." I smiled at him, for his worry.  
"No. I'm fine," I reassured.  
"Alright. If you're not feeling well though, don't push yourself."  
"Okay."  
"I'm going to be playing basketball later anyways, so why don't you come with us? Some extra company could be nice," he said while smiling.  
"Okay," I said instantly after seeing his smile. I blushed and looked down, back at my sandwich. He smiled wider and I closed my eyes to prevent myself from seeing them again.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a worried tone.  
"It's nothing."  
"Your face is really red," he pointed out.  
"It's nothing, really." At this, he placed his hand on my forehead. I blushed more, face heating up instantly.  
"Woah, you've got a high fever," he panicked.  
"Come on," he pulled my arm and he walked me to the nurse quickly.  
"What's wrong this time, Izuki?" The nurse asked.  
"Uh. She's got a fever. Can she lie down for a while?" He asked.  
"Izuki it's fine. I'll heal over time," I insisted, tugging on his arm while his hand was still holding mine.  
"Come here. We have vacant beds," she smiled, and opened up a curtain that enclosed a bed.  
"Thank you," Izuki said. I frowned, feeling awkward sleeping in another person's bed, even if it wasn't really someone else's. Izuki helped me into the bed and pulled the cool sheets over me.

"There. I'll leave now so you can get some rest," he said. I panicked now, having a strange feeling of not wanting him to leave.  
"Thank you, Izuki." I called out.  
"It's nothing," he said. As he was about close the curtain, I called out to him again desperately.  
"Izuki?"  
Izuki stopped from closing the sheet and looked at me.  
"Yes?"  
"Why did you bother with me? I could've just gone myself."  
"Hm? Well I knew that you probably would refuse to go. And you could have collapsed in the hall so I took you here," he said.  
"Oh. Um.. Thank you.." I said again.  
"You're welcome," he said with another smile. I was caught off guard again and before I could react, he left. I frowned sadly, already feeling empty from his lack of presence.

"You fell pretty hard," the nurse said while chuckling.  
"I didn't fall anywhere though..?"  
She laughed at my oblivion while saying, "I meant for that boy."  
It took a couple of seconds for what she said to register and I blushed, feeling my face redden redder than I had ever felt it redden.  
"What makes you say that?" I asked in a loud voice.  
"The way you desperately clung onto him to stop him from leaving. And you frowned really sadly when he left," she pointed out. I slumped and sighed, embarrassed. I then lied down on the bed while curling up with the sheets still pulled over.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly, still blurry. I looked at the familiar ceiling of my room.  
_"a dream..?"_ I sighed and sat up. I looked to my right and panicked. There Izuki sat by my bed, eyes closed. I assumed he was asleep as he didn't hear the shifting of the sheets when I sat up. I stared at his sleeping face, calm and docile.  
"Izuki," I said quietly. He didn't wake up. I called out again, a little louder and he shifted.  
"Izuki," I said once more, louder again, and he woke up. He looked at me, startled.  
"Morning," he said. He looked outside at the dark sky.  
"How did I get here?" I asked.  
"Well, after school ended, you still weren't back in class so I came to see you. The nurse was still trying to wake you up when I came in. And since I knew where you lived, I carried you back here. Your mom is still out at work. She said she had another 'late night.'"  
"How did you get in?"  
"You always have your keys in your pocket," he said, proud of his observation skills.  
"How did you know which room was mine?"  
"Hm.. It smelled like you, so I just assumed it was yours. It seems very.. '_you' _also," he replied. I blushed, embarrassed at the thought of him meaning that I smelled odd.  
"Ah, I don't mean you smell odd. It was just your scent, I guess."  
"I'm sorry for having you watch over me."  
"It's fine," He reassured.  
"uh.. Did you eat yet? Do you want something to eat?" I kept going.  
"Ah, can I actually just pour myself some water or milk? That'd be fine," he said while getting up. I got up before him though and walked by him.  
"I could have just gone to get it myself," he said behind me.  
"It's alright, I'll make you something to eat, as compensation." I looked at the clock and it read 7:03.  
I walked to the kitchen with him following close by.  
"It's really okay, I'm not that hungry," He kept talking, trying to stop me.  
"The last time you ate was at around 11 am, yes?"  
"Uh.. yeah.." he replied.  
"I'll make something for you," I concluded.  
"No, it's fine, really."  
"Then I'll make some for myself and for you, so I'll just feed both of us okay? If you refuse to eat, then I won't be eating either."  
"..okay," he sighed in defeat.

After I finished cooking, I placed the food on the table where Izuki then sat down after helping me a little.  
"Thanks for the food," he said before eating. I watched him eat, hoping that I didn't mess up anywhere.  
"This is really good," he said, looking at me while smiling and chewing. I sighed in relief and began eating as well.

"Izuki, do you want to go home?" I asked while taking his empty bowl and plates.  
"Hm? Ah, I actually told my family that I would be staying over at a friend's house. I didn't say your name or your gender though. They would probably get all rowdy if I said I was sleeping over at a girl's house," he laughed awkwardly.  
"Oh.. Uh.. We don't really have any guest rooms or extra futons.." I said.  
"I'll sleep on the couch, it's fine," he said.  
"No, sleep in my bed," I said. He blushed red and began stuttering.  
"Wait that's not what I meant!" I reasoned, now blushing again.  
"I meant, sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch. It's rude if I let you sleep on the couch," I said, still going red at the thought of what he may have been thinking.  
"No, it's okay. You're ill, so you sleep in the bed," he said again.  
"I'm not ill anymore," I said, placing his hand on my forehead.  
"Oh, it has cooled considerably," he mused out loud.  
"See? So I'll just sleep on the couch," I concluded again. I looked at the couch that Kou was now sleeping on soundly. I stared, completely speechless.  
"Why don't I just walk you to your home?" I said. He shook his head.  
"I don't have any keys and the only time they're home is about for a couple of hours while I get home, so they usually just open the door for me. My siblings are out at tutoring," he sighed.  
"Okay, you sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor," I said.  
"Let's settle it with paper scissors, then. The winner takes the bed!" He said.

In the end, I came out as a loss and he won. He frowned.  
"See? You would've slept on it anyways. I'll go get some clothes for you from my father's drawers," i said while drying my hands. I left upstairs and he soon came up the stairs too.  
"Here," I said, throwing the clothes at him.  
"Thanks.."  
"They might be a bit big, but it should do."  
I went into my room and he left for the bathroom to change. I shut the door behind me while locking it. I looked for my set of pajamas consisting of a large t-shirt and a pair of black pants. Quickly, I dressed and opened my door. I saw that the bathroom door was still closed, so I started cleaning my room, shoving stuff into drawers and binders.  
"Do you want some time to clean up your room first?" He asked.  
"No, this will be fine. I just wanted to put away some person belongings," I said. I walked out of my room to my mother's room that had an extra closet that had extra blankets.  
"I'll give you a different set of blankets so you don't have to use mine," I said, holding a bundle of covers.  
"It's fine, I really don't care," he said.  
"No, no. Here, take it, please." I said while already stripping the bed of my sheets.  
"Okay, okay. I give up arguing with you," he sighed, completely exhausted.  
"Sorry."  
"It's not your fault," he laughed.

"Okay, it's all done," I said, looking at the newly changed bed. He sat down, and leaned back.  
"Did you do your homework yet?" I asked. He nodded his head.  
"I was watching over you the whole time after I finished," he said.  
"the.. _whole_ time..?"  
"Well, it's not like I just stared at you in your sleep, but I kind of just sat there, checking your forehead once in a while," he reassured.  
"Sorry," I said again.  
"Stop saying sorry," he laughed while ruffling my hair.  
"Hold on," I said, suddenly remembering the food I left out for Kou. We had been able to train him so he would only eat when he was hungry and to not overeat.  
I ran downstairs quietly, and checked his food bowl and water bowl. Both were empty and I sighed in relief, looking back over at Kou. He was still sleeping on the couch. I went upstairs again and I found Izuki putting himself into bed on the floor.

"Izuki! Get in the bed!" I shouted, frustrated.  
"No, it's your bed! You use it. You'll get sick again," he said.  
"It's okay for you to get sick, though?"  
"I have a strong immune system!"  
"Izuki. Get in the bed. Now," I demanded. He couldn't help but to blush a little again.  
"How about we just share the bed? It's big enough for two," he said.  
"It's a twin size! It's for one person. For you!" I said.  
"I'll just sleep on one side, it's not a big deal. It's not like we'd be doing anything in bed anyways," he said. I blushed this time and I sensed that even he felt embarrassed.  
"I have to do homework, anyways," I said.  
"...i.. kind of.. did it for you.."  
"What?!"  
"I mean, I had the papers anyways, so I just copied the answers onto yours from teachers in the latter half of the day. And I did go into your bag.. But I only went for the folder that I see you put your homework in," he reassured. I opened my mouth, about to protest, but nothing came out.  
"I was afraid that you wouldn't wake up by tomorrow morning," he added.  
"Okay. It's fine. Thank you, actually," I said.

"You know, you really have changed a lot in the past couple of weeks. When I first met you, you kept trying to push me away," he said, reminiscing.  
"Yeah. Now I regret not actually pushing you away."  
"Eh?" He whined sadly. I laughed at his frown.  
"However, I really must thank you. These last two weeks have flown by so quickly with you," I said a little sadly.  
"Why are you upset?"  
"It's just that.. well.. Those days were just memories. Anything that happened just became a memory. Today and tomorrow will be a memory. One day, we'll part ways.." I said, already afraid. He looked at me with an actual frown and got up, coming towards me.  
"Setsuno, I promise that we'll never fully disconnect with each other. Even if we part ways, we'll bound to see each other again and think back to today, yesterday and all our days together," he said while putting his hands on my shoulders.  
"And if not me who'll be staying by your side, then someone else. You don't need to be worried about being lonely." He said, smiling a little sadly.  
"Izuki.. Before when you asked me which high school I'm going to.." I trailed off.  
"What? What is it? Where are you going?" he asked quickly.  
"My mother is thinking about moving in with my father, who lives far away. I will be moving with her and attending school there, if I go," I said. "I mean, I don't blame her. I even want to move in with my father. I would have no problem, but you.." I stopped talking.  
"I what?"  
"Without you there, I'll close back up again. I don't want that!" I said, shouting now. He was taken back at the volume of my voice.  
"I.." He started.  
At this moment, I heard the garage open. I looked at the clock that read 9:23.

I ran down the stairs and wiped my eyes of tears brimming my eye lids and opened the door for my mom.  
"Hey, Aki-chan! You're still not sleeping ye- What's wrong?"  
"I'm fine," I smiled.  
"Hello, Setsuno-san(mom)," Izuki called out behind me.  
"Oh? Izuki-kun? Why are you here?" She asked.  
"Well, she fell asleep at school and wouldn't wake up, so I brought her here and I'm now staying over. My house is locked at this hour and there's no one home," he explained.  
"Hm.. I see.. She always has been a heavy sleeper," my mom concluded.  
"Are you hungry, mom? There's some food we made left over."  
"It's alright. I had dinner already," she said.  
"Are you guys okay? You look a little down," my mom asked again.  
"No, we're fine," i said, looking at Izuki.

"Mom."  
"Yes, dear?"  
"Are we still moving to dad?" I asked. She stopped. She looked at me, then Izuki.  
"I'm.. I'm so sorry.. I should have.. Akira I'm so sorry," she came to me, and hugged me.  
"I should've known. I'm sorry." She pulled away and looked at Izuki, then to me.  
"Izuki, will you go upstairs for a bit?" she asked. He nodded and left up the stairs.  
"The reason you don't want to leave is because of Izuki?"  
I nodded, now crying.  
"Is it because you love him?" She asked.  
I hesitated, then cried harder while nodding forcefully, head no longer clear. My head was throbbing from crying and my eyes felt swollen, about to burst from my sockets.  
"It's okay. We don't have to move. We can stay here," she reassured. I shook my head at this, though.  
"No.. You want to live with dad. And I do, too. I don't want to get in the way of your reunion. I want to live as a whole family again, too."  
"It's okay. Your happiness must always come before ours," she said while smiling. She kissed my forehead and rubbed my eyes with her thumb.  
"Akira. We don't have to move. It was just a selfish desire to live with him again," she said.  
"We'll stay here," she said again. She shushed me while stroking my hair. I felt Kou nudging my leg and sitting at my feet, whining. He rubbed against me and pawed my leg gently.  
"You don't have to be upset. We'll stay." She said one last time before I fell asleep in her embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

"Setsuno, wake up," I heard a voice calling out to me. After a couple of more calls, I opened my eyes to see Izuki next to me.  
"Izuki..?"  
"Yeah," he smiled. I looked down and saw that the bed sheets were covering both of us in the bed.  
"why... Why are we in the same bed?" I panicked.  
"Your mom wanted both of us to sleep together on a bed. She said she would have to be making calls and working in her room, so she didn't want anyone in there," he said.  
"I could've just slept on the floor," I said.  
"She asked me to comfort you while you slept," he replied, a little embarrassed.  
"Sorry.." I blushed, looking down.  
"It's fine," he laughed. I rolled over to look at my alarm clock.  
"Izuki why did you wake me? It's only 3am."  
"Well, you were rolling around and making an uncomfortable face, so I thought you were having a nightmare," he replied.  
"Ah.. I wasn't, though.." I said.  
"Eh? Sorry, then."  
"No, it's fine. Thank you for your concern."  
He rolled over to look at my ceiling.  
"Are you cold, Izuki?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.  
"No," he said. I looked at the floor that no longer had the sheets.  
"What happened to the extra bed sheets?" I looked over at him. He turned and looked at me.  
"It's behind you, on the chair," he said. I nodded, not turning around though, keeping my face straight.  
"..Setsuno? What's wrong?" he asked after a while.  
"Nothing! Sorry," I said quickly, turning.  
"Wait, turn back around," he said. I turned to face him again and he leaned closer, eyes staring.  
"What are you doing?" I asked awkwardly.  
"Your eyes dilated! It's really easy to see that in your's, too."  
"Oh.. yeah.. It is dark, after all," I said.  
"I like your eyes," Izuki said. I looked at him incredulously.  
"What?"  
"I said 'I like your eyes,'" He repeated.  
"Why?"  
"Why do I need a reason to like something?"  
"Well, I mean.."  
"Just accept it."  
"I'm going to sleep," I said, turning around again. He laughed quietly and moved closer to me.  
"Why are you so close to me? Move," I said, stammering.  
"You're warm."  
"So you are cold?"  
"No. It's a different kind of warm," he said, drifting off.  
"What does that mean?" I asked, turing around to face him.  
He didn't reply, so I had assumed that he had fallen asleep in an instant.  
"Easy sleeper, geez.." I said to myself quietly. I looked up at his peaceful, sleeping face. I smiled, affection swelling in my chest. Without realizing, I moved closer to him as well, and attached myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his broad back.

At around six, I woke up again, this time from my clock. I turned around to try to stop it, but I couldn't move. I opened my eyes and saw that Izuki was still shelling over me, returning the embrace now and placing his chin on top of my head.  
"Izuki.."  
He groaned groggily, then nuzzling his face into my hair.  
"Izuki!" I said louder, flustered. He jerked awake, then looked down at me, then our position.  
"Sorry," he said while letting go of me. He rolled off my now sore arm.  
"My arm hurts.." I said, getting up and rubbing my arm.  
"Mine does too.. I guess this is what happens when you leave your arm under someone who weighs more than a hundred pounds," he sighed. I finally shut the clock up and got off the bed, stretching. Izuki yawned behind me and got off too, standing next to me.  
"Can I use the bathroom to change?" he asked.  
"Go ahead," I replied.  
He nodded and left to the bathroom with his clothes. I shut the door behind him and yawned. It was now my time to groan as I rubbed my swollen eyes. They felt puffy from crying the night before.

After dressing myself, I left to the bathroom where Izuki stood.  
"Do you have any extra tooth brushes?" He asked. I nodded and went to the cabinet under the sink where the toothbrushes remained unopened.  
"Here," I handed him one.

After breakfast, we left the house. We walked to school, talking about classes and laughing at his puns he made. We walked through the school gates, and with some time to spare, we sat in our classroom, talking about mere nonsense. After some time, some people had come in, including Hyuga.  
"Good morning, Hyuga-san," I said as he passed by us.  
"Ah, morning, Setsuno. Izuki," He said back, nodding at us.  
"Izuki. Are you prepared for tomorrow?" Hyuga came back to us, after putting his stuff down. Izuki nodded with a stern face.  
"What's going on tomorrow?" I asked.  
"We have a competition in basketball," Izuki said.  
"Eh? I see. Good luck, then. Where will it be?"  
"I think it's (add location)." He said.  
"Can I come to watch?"  
"Why ask? Go ahead, if you want," Hyuga replied.  
"Okay, I have to ask my mom, though."

Hyuga and Izuki kept conversing about tomorrow, until the bell rang, signaling us to start class.  
"We'll talk later, Setsuno," Izuki waved goodbye.

* * *

"Tomorrow? Why didn't you ask earlier? I won't be able to give a ride for you, Aki.." My mom said.  
"Alright, it's no big deal. I did only give you a one day warning, anyways," I said, a bit disappointed.  
"Well, if you really want to go, I can ask a friend to drive you there.." she said.  
"No, no it's alright," I reassured.  
"Well, okay.. Sorry, dear."  
"It's fine, it's fine." I smiled and gave her a hug as she left the house to work again. I sighed and shut the door, watching the car leave. Kou barked happily at me, wagging his tail fiercely. I went up the stairs, Kou following me quickly. I sat down, upset that I couldn't cheer on Izuki. After opening up my window to let cool air in, I lied down on my bed, Kou following suit, lying on my face. I sputtered and Kou jumped off, smiling at me mischievously with his ears flattened out.  
"Kou!" I said, hair still in my mouth. He barked loudly, his tongue spilling out of his mouth.  
(A/N: Omg I want a dog so much)  
I sneezed, nose feeling tickle-y. I heard the doorbell ring and I hushed, telling Kou to be quiet as well. I looked at him and he was unbothered, still panting happily.  
_Strange.. Kou is always on guard when the bell rings and there's someone he doesn't know.. Mom?_ I looked out the window and saw the car was still gone. I sat back down, deciding not to bother. It rang again and I sat still. Kou nudged me and poked the door with his nose. I shook my head, watching Kou spin at the door.  
"Setsuno?" I heard a familiar voice calling from outside the window. I looked out again, seeing Izuki waving his hands at me.  
"Did you not hear the doorbell?" He yelled to the window.  
I ran downstairs quickly, Kou thumping behind me. I opened the door and Izuki stood a few meters away, still looking up at the window. He looked at me and waved.  
"Do.. you need something?" I asked.  
"Are you coming tomorrow?"  
"Did you really come all the way over here to ask?!"  
"Well, I was heading out and here was along the way," he reasoned. "Are you coming?" He repeated.  
"uh, sorry. I don't have a ride.." I apologized.  
"Aw, alright. See you Monday, then," He said.  
"Good luck, Izuki!" I shouted to his back. He turned and waved to me again, then left once more. Kou barked behind me and Izuki stopped and came towards the dog. He ruffled the dog's head and left for the final time. I looked down at Kou, frowning, then kissed his head where Izuki had just petted. I walked inside the house again, shutting and locking the door behind me.  
Sighing once more, I thought _"I can't wait until Monday.."_

* * *

"Izuki!" I called out to the boy sitting as his desk. He flinched and gave a dead smile.  
"Good morning, Setsuno." He said quietly.  
"Izuki, are you alright?"  
"Yeah. The competition didn't go well, that's all," he replied.  
"Oh.. I'm sorry to hear that."  
"Yeah.. You should go try talking to Hyuga to make him feel better. He really dealt a blow," he said.  
"Where is he?" I asked.  
"I don't know. He should be here soon." He sighed gloomily again. I bit my lip and petted his head a little.  
"There'll be more games for you to win, won't there?" I said, my hand still on his head.  
"Yeah," Izuki smiled, a relieving look plastered on his face.

Behind me, I heard approaching footsteps and I turned around. There Hyuga was, looking half-dead and barely alive, as if he didn't really want to be. I understood then that Izuki really meant that he took a heavy blow.  
"Hey Hyuga." I said, a calm smile on my face.  
"Hey.." he replied in a tired voice.  
"Hyuga, I know you guys lost," I said.  
"Setsuno!" Izuki called out behind me.  
"You have to move on, there'll be more tries! Keep fighting!" I said to him, looking at his emotionless face.  
"Easier said than done.." He sighed.  
"Come on! You love basketball, don't you? You can retaliate or sit there and let defeat overwhelm you!"  
"I don't want to hear it from someone who spent their life moping around, pitying herself!" Hyua yelled at me. I was taken back at the volume of his voice, then the meaning. I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes, knowing that he said the truth. I didn't mean to keep myself back forever, I only meant to hide until my real life started as an adult.  
"Hyuga!" Izuki now yelled at the other boy, standing up from his chair.  
"Izuki, it's fine," I said to him.  
"I did mope around, but I didn't pity myself. I tried to do something about it, each time was just refused and I was put down every time. I'm a hypocrite right now, I know that," I said to Hyuga. "You're sitting there like it's the end of the world for you! Your losses don't act as a weight! They act as a spring, they'll push you upwards, so use that spring effectively." I said to him. Hyua looked at me and sighed.  
"I guess that's about right.. But no matter how many times we play, we never win. No matter how many springs there are for each of us, it's not enough."  
"What do you do when a spring breaks or is lost?" I asked.  
"What do you mean? What ever it is doesn't work anymore."  
"No. You find a substitute. Whether it's a new spring or a different method of getting it to work, it'll work in the end."  
"I don't think you understand the feeling of losing every game we play," he said in an aggravated voice.  
"I don't. But you need to keep pushing. What point is there in starting if you're going to quit in frustration?"  
"Setsuno, leave it at that for now," I heard Izuki say to me quietly.  
"I'm sorry for the tone I used on you," I said, bowing a little to Hyuga.  
"It's alright. I apologize, as well, for what I said earlier," he said. I extended a hand, asking for a hand shake. "Don't give up," I said and left to my desk.

"An amazingly effective person you found for yourself, Izuki," Hyuga said when I was out of range.  
"Eh? What do you mean, 'for yourself'?"  
"What you aren't together? You guys have spent more time together than you have with anyone else in the past couple of weeks," Hyuga said.  
"It's only _been_ a couple of weeks!" Izuki exclaimed.  
"So you feel nothing towards that girl?" Hyuga turned to look Izuki in the face.  
"..I don't know. It's there and not there sometimes," Izuki said, averting his eyes.  
"So it is there," Hyuga concluded. Izuki whipped to turn to Hyuga again, but Hyuga already had a look of victory on his face, with a large grin.  
"Izuki, I've known you for years. I know." He said, forgetting about his stress for a moment.  
"I don't get what the big deal is, just a silly little crush won't be life-changing," Izuki sighed nonchalantly.  
"Then would you be happy if she became your wife?"  
"WHA- WIFE? Why wife?!" Izuki sputtered.  
"I don't know," Hyuga shrugged. Izuki groaned, embarrassed.  
"Well, would you?" He asked again. Izuki didn't reply and kept his face drilled into his desk. He heard Hyuga laugh behind him as I watched their little scene.

"I wonder what they're talking about..? Seems fun.." I thought. I honed in on my listening skills to their conversation, not feeling any guilt.  
"Hyuga is much less innocent than I thought you were.." Izuki groaned, his face still smushed on the table top.  
"'thought.'" Hyuga said.  
"What if she can hear us?!" Izuki said.  
"She can't. Don't be embarrassed." Hyuga laughed. "How about it? Wife or not?" Hyuga continued and Izuki also continued to push his face further into the table. His face was red and twisted in embarrassment. He glanced over at me while I was watching them and he quickly turned to Hyuga.  
"As I thought, she can hear us!" Izuki whisper loudly at Hyuga.  
"Ah?" Hyuga looked at me but was stopped by Izuki.  
"Don't look at her or she'll know!" Izuki continued at the same volume. Hyuga looked at me and I gulped.  
_"Did they find out..?"_ I thought, scared. He signaled me to come over and I walked over slowly. I wasn't able to hear it at all, much to my disappointment.

"Y-yes?" I asked, afraid. I looked at Izuki from the corner of my eye and his face was now on Hyuga's desk.  
"If you were to marry someone tomorrow, who would it be?" Hyuga said in a monotone voice.  
"..excuse me?" I was completely taken back by the question.  
"Just a question."  
"Uh.. well.. I mean..." I trailed off, too embarrassed to go on.  
"Must I answer this now?" I came to an answer of asking another question.  
"I did say if you were to marry someone _tomorrow_," Hyuga said.  
"Um.. I mean, I only know a couple of males that I'm friends with.."  
"So choose from those people," he pressed.  
"Hyuga, just leave her alone," Izuki said, still face down.  
"It's not going to be written in stone, just say a name," Hyuga said, ignoring Izuki.  
"Then.. Izuki..?" I said slowly and quietly. Izuki looked up at me with his red face.  
"Why?"  
"I don't know! I just know him best and am most comfortable!" I lied.  
"Out of your choices or out of anyone for comfort?"  
"Anyone! I mean..!" I crouched on the floor, covering my face in embarrassment.  
"How nice, Izuki said the same about you," Hyuga lied.  
"Wait! I never.." Izuki slumped, giving up and exhausted.  
"It's too early for this.." I mumbled. "Wait, what do you mean Izuki said the same?" I looked up at Hyuga.  
"It's nothing!" Izuki said quickly.  
"Nothing," Hyuga smiled mischievously.  
"Well, no one can compare to Kou, though."  
"..Kou?" Hyuga asked.  
"Her dog," Izuki said.  
"HA YOU GOT BEAT BY A DOG!" Hyuga laughed loudly. Izuki hit Hyuga over the head with his hand.

"Oi, rowdy kids over there, settle down. Class will begin shortly," the teacher said, while walking in. I giggled at the two friends fighting and I left them to themselves and sat down at my desk. I watched from my seat that they were still arguing, and I still laughed to myself.

* * *

"I'm saying sorry for Hyuga from before," Izuki glared at Hyuga while he sat at my desk on another chair to eat.  
"It's nothing, it was fun anyways.. So... What about you, Izuki?" I asked, grinning.  
"What about me?"  
"Who would you marry if you were to marry tomorrow?"  
"..no one. I don't want to marry anyone," he declared.  
"Why not? Not even.. Hyuga?!"  
"Hyuga?! Why him? I'm not a homosexual!" Izuki exclaimed. I laughed at his reaction and he sighed. (A/N: I mean no offense to any homosexuals. I ship M/M :)  
"Who do you love, then?" I asked.  
"No one," he said.  
"Who _would_ you love?" I continued.  
"..no one."  
"You hesitated! Who is it?" I asked, now intrigued, but a little upset. He shook his head.  
"Is it Hyuga, in the end?"  
"No! I don't like anyone," he said.  
"You'll tell me one day, right?" I smiled teasingly.  
"..when the right time comes along, of course.." He said quietly.  
"eh? What did you say?" I asked.  
"Nothing," he replied.

I ate my food quietly, watching him eat his own. He fumbled a little as he looked up and saw that I was watching him, and some food came out of his sandwich. The male quickly wiped off any food remaining on his pants or shirt, and looked at me while I was still watching him.  
"Don't make fun of me," he said, clearing his throat.  
"Why?" I laughed. "That was adorable."  
"In what way?"  
"I don't know. Just a clumsy act, was all."  
"Exactly. So how did you find that 'adorable?'"  
"The clumsiness made it that way," I said. "You're also adorable," I teased. He blushed and I couldn't help to either at the sight of his blushing face.  
"What? It was just a joke," I said quickly.  
"Wh- oh. right, right! A joke! heh.." he laughed awkwardly while averting his eyes.  
_"so cute.." _I thought unconsciously as I watched him.  
"I take it back. It wasn't a joke," I said.  
"What?!"  
"Izuki, let's go outside for a bit." I said, as he finished up his food.  
"huh? sure..?"

"Why did you want to come outside?" Izuki asked as we stepped outside.  
"No reason, really. Just wanted some fresh air."  
Izuki stood next to me, leaning against a wall.  
"We're taking our finals soon. In two weeks, right?" I asked after a few minutes.  
"Yeah.. We're both aiming for Seirin, right?" He asked.  
"Are you?"  
"Yes.. Are you?"  
"Yeah.. I hope we both make it in," I said, smiling at him.  
"Setsuno, if we both make it in, I want to ask you something," he said hesitantly.  
"Ask what?"  
"You'll find that out at that time," he said.  
"Make sure you work hard to get in, though!" Izuki added.  
"Of course! I want to go to school with you more, too," I said.  
"After this, there's only three more years left," the male said.  
"Yeah... I still haven't a clue of what I want to be," I admitted.  
"Neither do I," he replied.  
"We can be clueless idiots together, then."  
"Ah, as for Seririn.." He said.  
"Hm? What about it?"  
"You rank pretty high for tests, don't you?" he asked.  
"Yeah."  
"So, I think we've got a good chance of getting into Seirin together. After all, I _excel_," he smiled, waiting for a response. I smiled too, but confused. (A/N: Izuki's first name, _Shun_, means excellence, and the like)  
"If that was a pun, I don't get it," I confessed.  
"Eh?"

"Let's work hard, anyways.. For Seirin!" I said encouragingly.  
"Yeah. I'll work hard, too," he said with a pondering face, still upset that I didn't get his joke.  
"Come, let's go back inside," I said, holding his arm. He nodded as we made our way back inside the school.

"Hyuga!" Izuki called out.  
"What?" the other replied.  
"You're going to Seirin too, right?"  
"Yeah?"  
"So is Setsuno," Izuki smiled.  
"So? What good is it if you're not coming with her?"  
"What do you mean? I am applying. Didn't I tell you?"  
"No. You just said Setsuno, that's it," Hyuga said.  
"Oh."  
"You're getting really excited, slow down. Let's work towards Seirin, before anything else," Hyuga grinned. Izuki smiled back at Hyuga, full of determination.


	5. Chapter 5

Black Cat ch 5

After a whole week of studying, I grew nervous, looking back on old notes that I've forgotten about. I groaned, scratching my head fiercely. It's been a week already, since Izuki promised to tell me a secret of some sort or whatever after we both got accepted into Seirin.  
_"I wonder what it is... maybe a love confession to Hyuga!"_ I thought while giggling.  
"Kou," I called out to the resting dog waiting patiently for me to finish my work. He sat up quickly, hoping that I was done. I patted my thighs, telling him to come to me. Kou ran at me, and barked, resting his paws on my legs. I rubbed his face, feeling his skin move with my hands.  
"Come on," I said, opening the door after getting up. The dog ran out and down the stairs, waiting for me. I grabbed a large bag full of dog toys and walked downstairs, leaving to our backyard.

In about 30 minutes, I walked into my cool house, sweating from running around in the sun for so long.  
_"I don't have the energy for this.."_ I groaned. Kou barked, still energetic and waiting for my next throw of the ball. I watched as some grass blades fell from his fur and I sighed, walking back outside. Kou walked behind me in a bouncy and jolly manner, still panting. I turned the water hose on and began to spray down the dog. He took the water, enjoying the cold wash and shaking it off onto nearby plants. He jumped on to me, standing onto his hind legs while supporting himself with his front paws on me. He stepped off, shaking off again, soaking me with water. I sprayed him again in short spurts, laughing. I shut the water off, telling myself to stop wasting water on a clean dog. I told Kou to wait on my deck while I went to get towel to dry him off. I started rubbing him with the towel and watched his satisfied face - getting scratched and dried at the same time.  
"Okay, all clean and dry," I said, taking the towel and hanging it to dry. I scratched his neck and he barked in satisfaction.  
"Let's go out for a bit." At this, Kou jumped, knowing already what I said without understanding my language. He jogged to the door, waiting for me.

I walked back into my house, tired from the walk I had with Kou. He seemed about tired too, as I watched him yawn, ears flattened and mouth wide open. He closed again and he shook himself off, then walked upstairs. I followed suit, and up the stairs. He walked into my room, went to his bed and plopped down, resting. I scratched the area under his ear and he licked my hand, then falling asleep. I smiled and placed a small blanket over him, then went to the bathroom, beginning to shower.

After my shower, I walked into my room and changed into my pajamas. I sat at my desk, pulling out papers from September until now to study. In half an hour, things began to click together again and I began remembering everything. I took out some index cards, cut them in half, and made flash cards of things I didn't know well on them. Most of this stuff was math, that I didn't remember and I sighed.  
"I just need to remember the formulas," I said quietly to myself. I read through them again, over and over.  
_"I need to get into Seirin... please.."  
_I continued studying until it was nearly time to go to sleep. My mother came in through the garage and came up to check on me to see if I was sleeping.  
"You're still up?" she asked. I nodded and signaled her to be quiet, while pointing to the sleeping dog. She looked and nodded, then walked quietly towards me.  
"are you struggling? I can hire a tutor for finals, if you want," she whispered.  
"It's alright. I can probably just ask some people for help at school," I whispered back.  
"Well, don't forget you have a mother to ask help from," she said while ruffling my hair, then leaving. I frowned as the door clacked quietly, fixing the stands hair still tangled from never combing my hair properly after my shower. I sighed, while rubbing my eyes. They were dry and tired and I yawned quietly, then got up to go brush my teeth.  
Walking back out of the bathroom after brushing my teeth, I closed my door, turning off the lights and climbing into my bed under the cool sheets. I sighed comfortably, feeling the soft blankets cool me. I looked over at my clock, reading to be almost 10pm. I groaned to myself, not wanting to wake up early tomorrow. I smiled though, despite the want to not go to school. I felt myself relax as I recalled my memories in the past three weeks.  
Izuki there, and here, and basically every where there was Izuki. They felt so vivid while the memories before him were hazy and dull - colorless. I found myself still thinking about him at least an hour later when I looked at my clock and it said 11pm. I blinked.  
_"A whole hour?! No.. I must have read it wrong before... But mom came home a little before 10.. and I went to sleep right after she came home. It would make sense but.. No! I read it wrong. My brain just is exhausted.."_ I thought. I cleared my throat a little, wary of Kou's sleeping status. I sighed, clearing my mind too and soon fell asleep, when that guy was running around my mind.

* * *

The bird outside my window chirped, deciding to make a nest there. I opened my eyes, wanting to shut it up, but I kept sleeping, knowing I had about thirty minutes left until I had to wake up.  
_Chirp! Chirp! SQAAUWWK! CHIRP! CHIRP!_  
I twitched, now becoming frustrated. The chirping had become squawks by now and I was about to send Kou to eat the bird.  
I opened my window that had a screen on it and it fluttered away. I felt bad, but I needed my sleep so I took the unfinished nest into my room after opening the screen for a second, placed it on my window sill, then shut the door. I wiped my hands on a paper towel, then went back into my bed, shutting my eyes for a few more minutes.  
_CHIRP! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP! CHIRP!_  
"FOR GOD'S FUCKING SAKE" I shouted, no longer caring about anyone else sleeping, for my mother had also complained about the bird a few times. Kou didn't quite care. I cared, for its nest was now in my room and it was sleeping literally right outside my window. I opened my shade and saw the bird flying around the area. I groaned.  
_"It'll go away later,"_ I thought, still feeling guilty. (A/N: this actually happens to me, every morning, so I'm venting about it lol)  
I heard Kou bark behind me. I turned around, walking towards him and sat down next to him. I hugged him, pulling him over me as a huge blanket of fur, which he didn't mind. He was a cuddly one. I kept him on my lap, his head over my shoulder. He was panting, happy with the attention he was getting right in the morning. I stroked his back fur, drowning my hand in it. Eventually, the bird flew away, its caws fading away with the distance.  
_"School..." _I groaned. But then I thought again of Izuki and I smiled instantly, tightening my hug on Kou. He barked quietly, feeling my affection, though it wasn't for him. I let go of him, patting his back as a sign to tell him to get off now, and he got off. I got up and stretched before walking to the bathroom to continue on with my morning routine.

"Setsuno, good morning." I heard. I turned around and saw Hyuga nearby behind me.  
"Good morning," I said back, waiting for him.  
"Are you planning to study at Seirin for your next few years of high school?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.  
"Yeah. What about you?" I responded.  
"I will be going there too, with you and Izuki," he said.  
"That means two more years of his puns," he said with a coarse voice. I laughed at his expression of bloodlust.  
"What's so bad about them, anyways? I like them," I said.  
"You haven't heard the worst of them," Hyuga groaned.  
"Like what?"  
"Go ask him yourself.. No. Actually, don't. He's gonna think that you like them and just continue to make more," he said.  
"Okay, hahah.." I laughed quietly. After a while, we stopped talking, not really having much to converse about. Izuki seemed to be the main topic. I glanced at him in the corner of my eye and I saw him watching me.  
"Is there something you need?" I asked. He now knew I knew he was watching me, but he didn't care.  
"It's nothing," he said nonchalantly. There was a relieved smile on his face for some reason. "Don't make Izuki too happy," he said, walking ahead into the classroom. I cocked my head curiously, confused. I realized that I was just standing there in the middle of nowhere after a while and quickly walked in.  
"Hyuga, what did you mean by not making- Izuki! Hi, good morning," I said, in the middle of my sentence. He looked up as I continued walking towards Hyuga.  
"Morning, Setsuno," he smiled. I shifted uncomfortably, barely able to stop myself from attacking him.  
"What were you saying, Setsuno?" Hyuga asked.  
"..nothing," I said.

I went to my seat, and sat down, waiting for class to begin. When the bell rang, our teacher came strolling in. After taking attendance and settling in, he said, "Finals will be next week! We'll be studying extra hard from now on," he said. Many students groaned and complained. I sighed, mentally preparing myself for the next week of studying.

* * *

**Finals Week**

"Izuki!" I shouted. I fumbled to see him, wailing as I blabbered nonsense of anxiety.  
"Calm down," he laughed, placing his hand on my head. I jittered, feeling jumpy.  
"Jeez, you've never been this nervous for tests," he said.  
"These are finals! And what if I don't do good enough to get into Seirin with you?" I said.  
"You'll be fine," he said.  
"But.. but if I don't get in, you won't tell me how you'll confess to Hyuga!" I exclaimed.  
"Stop with that already!" he wailed in agony.  
"But.. weren't you going to?" I continued.  
"No. Not even close to Hyuga," he sighed.  
"..so.. there _is_ someone..?" I gulped.  
"Well.. maybe," he said awkwardly, blushing.  
"How nice," I smiled. "Who is it?"  
"I don't want to tell you," he turned around.  
"Wait!" I called to him as he walked away. I felt a tug at my head and turned around to see Hyuga, holding my hair.

"You need to cut this mane off," Hyuga said, still holding it.  
"Ah.. I guess, soon," I said. I grabbed my hair back and it fell back to below my waistline. "I'll cut it after or during summer," I said.  
"What'll you be doing during the break?" he asked.  
"I go to my father's house every year during the summer with my mother for break," I responded.  
"Are your parents divorced?"  
"Not at all," I laughed. "They act like newlyweds often. I suppose it's due to the lack of time spent with each other. Though they do call often."  
"Where's your father?"  
"(add location)"  
"(Said location)? Isn't that by Teiko Middle School?" Hyuga asked.  
I nodded. "I actually am, or was, close friends with the captain of their basketball team," I said, reminiscing.  
"Akashi Seijuro?" Hyuga asked after a while.  
"Yeah." I opened the door to our classroom, and I felt the tension and anxiety polluting the air.

"Setsuno, where did you go? I walked ahead, turned around, and you were swallowed by the mob of people," Izuki said.  
"I ran into Hyuga," I said, pointing to him behind me.  
"Morning," Hyuga said to Izuki.  
"Morning," Izuki replied.  
"Hyuga, Izuki wants to confess to you about his romantic feelings," I said.  
"..what." Hyuga's eye twitched noticeably.  
"WHAT?" Izuki yelled.  
"How ironic of you of all people to say that," Hyuga said.  
"Hyuga!" Izuki shouted. I laughed over Izuki's shouts of pain. I quietly shuffled away, without them noticing as they continued bickering.

I sat down at my desk, breathing out shakily. I was still nervous before and during the ringing of the morning bell that also had out teachers walking into the classroom with our thick test booklets.  
"Alright, sit down! It's time for our tests," he called out to everyone. Some people had insisted on looking over old notes and quickly skimming through them as everyone else began to take out testing gear.

* * *

Our testing day continued for another three days. On Friday, we relaxed in our classes, for our acceptance letters would be coming the next week.  
**The Next Week..**  
"I will be handing out acceptance letters now, so sit down and stay seated until I'm done," the teacher said. I sat in my chair nervously and waited patiently for my bundle of acceptance letters. I received them, finally. The first on the pile was Rakuzan. I opened it, reading the letter within.  
_"At least I can go to Rakuzan with Seijuro if I don't get into Seirin with Izuki,"_ I thought. I stared at Rakuzan's letter before moving on, passing a few more mails until I saw _Seirin_. I gulped, ripping open the top. I read the nerve wracking letter slowly, making sure I didn't misread anything.  
"It is with pleasure we tell you that you, Setsuno Akira, have been accepted into our new private high school of Seirin High..." it read. I didn't bother with the rest. I didn't know how to contain my happiness. I looked over at Izuki who was watching me. He smiled, reading my emotion, knowing I got in. We both looked over at Hyuga who was also in a good mood.  
"Alright, go celebrate now," the teacher said, smiling. Everyone got up immediately and ran around to their friends. I got up quickly, heading over to Izuki, but I was cut short with an embrace.

"We made it!" Izuki said into my ear loudly, unable to contain his happiness.  
"Yeah," I said, relieved. I saw Hyuga behind Izuki, smiling.  
"So will you be confessing now?" I asked Izuki, grinning. He blushed and turned around, hanging his head. I cocked my head to the side, confused.  
_He's not actually going to for Hyuga.. right..?  
_"You damn wimp," Hyuga slapped Izuki's head. Hyuga looked at me. "Rather than to me, I believe Izuki's got something along those lines to say to you."  
I blushed at the thought that he ever would and cleared my head. _Like he would..  
_"Hyuga, we need to talk," Izuki said, a little aggravated. He dragged Hyuga away and I stood there, a little confused again. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I looked at the screen. There were a couple missed calls, and another one incoming again.

"Sei-chan," I said, picking up the phone.  
"Akira." He responded. "Did you get into Rakuzan like you wanted?"  
"Ah..I did get accepted, but I'm going to Seirin," I replied.  
"..Seirin? I don't believe I've heard of that before," he said.  
"It's a new school."  
"Are you sure you want to be going, then? There's no guarantee there's a good academic system," he warned.  
"I'll be fine, Sei-chan. If there's nothing good there.. then maybe I'll transfer there, " I said a bit sadly.  
"Do you not wish to be with me?"  
"No! That's not it! I do, I really do.. But.. here.." I trailed off, watching Izuki.  
"'here' what?" He pressed.  
"Nothing.." I said.  
"Will you be visiting again tomorrow, at least?" He asked.  
"Yeah. I will," I replied.  
"I look forward to your visit. Until then," he said, before I said my 'goodbye's and hung up.

"Who was that?" I heard Hyuga say while he loomed over my desk.  
"A friend. He asked which school I got accepted into and will be going to.. Where'd Izuki go?" I asked, looking behind him.  
"Off. Well," Hyuga groaned as he sat down.  
"What?" I asked, feeling a strange feeling in my gut.  
"Izuki's too much of a wimp to say anything, and he doesn't know I'm saying this. But it seems you have feelings for that moron too," he said bluntly.  
"What?" I asked, trying to hide my embarrassment.  
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious," Hyuga continued.  
"..is it really..?" I asked quietly.  
"So it's true?" he asked.  
"Wait, if you didn't know, then why did you say that?"  
"Well, if it was true, then I'd get a reaction like that. If it wasn't I'd know. And it is true, then," he smiled.  
"Fine. But what do you mean 'too?'"  
"Hm? Oh. What, you didn't realize?"  
"Realize what?" I asked.  
"you'll see soon enough," he said, getting up and leaving.

"Izuki."  
The boy turned around, seeing his best friend.  
"What? Leave me alone, Hyuga," he said, turning around.  
"Just go ask. I highly doubt she'll say no," he said.  
"Why?"  
"Just go." Hyuga patted Izuki's back, smiling reassuringly.  
"I have your back, Izuki. Just go for it," Hyuga walked away, hands in his pockets.

* * *

**We all have that one friend like Hyuga lol. The one that's so annoyingly hinting out everything. But nevertheless, they still carry the title as a friend. :P**

****updated. I messed up a part (I forgot GoM was younger. Thank you to I see you see **


	6. Chapter 6

Black Cat ch 6

"Izuki!" I called out to the boy with his back facing me. He turned around, startled and revealed Hyuga was starting to walk away in the other direction. I remembered the talk I had with him a few moments ago and I tensed up.  
"What will you be doing over the break?" he asked me. I turned to him, saying "I'll be going to (that location from last chapter) with my father. I won't be returning until at least a week before school starts again."  
"Really?" He replied.  
"Yeah. I'll also be spending most of my time with a friend while he's out at work," I said, smiling at the memories of my past summers with Seijuro.  
"Who?"  
"You would probably know him as the captain of the 'Generation of Miracles.'"  
"..Akashi Seijuro?" He asked.  
"Yeah. He actually taught me how to play basketball. I wonder how he's grown," I pondered.  
"I bet he's amazing.. You can actually keep up with him?"  
"Well, I mean.. I've known him long enough, and he did teach me. But many times, I am lost," I laughed.  
"Oh.. Well, when are you leaving to (Location)?" he asked.  
"My mother and I are leaving on Sunday," I replied. "Izuki, what was that thing you wanted to say after finals? Must've have been important if you needed to say it after such a stressful time."  
"Uh.. I think it can wait.." he stumbled with his words.  
"Is it something that's bothering you?" I asked, worried.  
"No! Not at all," he said. "Never mind. It's okay," he concluded, smiling.  
_"It's too early,"_ he thought. I shrugged, disappointed that he wouldn't tell me, but turned around anyways. I stopped, then turned around to face him again.

"Izuki what will you be doing this Saturday?" I asked.  
"This Saturday? Hm... I don't know. Why?"  
"Do you want to go out that day with me?"  
"Do you need something?"  
"Not really.. I just wanted to spend some time with you..." I said quietly, averting my eyes.  
"Wh-why is that?" he stuttered.  
"If you don't want to, you could just say no!" I shouted and turned on my heel, back to my classroom to pack my things and leave the building home. I walked out of the room and he was rushing in, almost bumping into me.  
"Wait, Setsuno, I didn't say 'no,'" he said. His face lit up and said, "kitakore!" he took out his note pad and wrote what he said down.

I looked at him in disbelief, not knowing if I was confused or about to laugh. I stuck with the first and moved by him, sighing.  
Tomorrow, Friday, would be our graduation from Junior High. (A/N: **I didn't realize that this was actually Junior High, so all the "Middle Schools" should be "Junior High." Oopsies**). Saturday would be my last day here before I went to my father. From Sunday on, I'll be spending time with people from my childhood, I thought while smiling. I continued walking until I was outside of the school when Izuki came calling out to me again.

"Wait! Setsuno! I really didn't say no, though!"  
I looked at him and he caught up to me.  
"I want to go with you Saturday, but to where?" he panted, a little out of breath.  
"I didn't really have a specific place in mind.. I just wanted to go around town," I said.  
"Sure," he said.  
"You don't have to come, really.. Just forget it, it's fine. You don't need to," I said, turning around and continuing to walk.  
"But I want to."  
I looked at him again, turning around once more.  
"What time until when, then?" I asked, very happy at this moment.  
"I still need to ask my mother if I can go out that day," he said.  
"Okay.. then.. tell me tomorrow during graduation." I replied. He nodded and we both started walking from the school to our homes. At an intersection, we waved goodbye with each other and parted ways.

I opened the door to my house and was met with barks of happiness. I knelt and Kou came running, his tongue spilling out of his mouth and he jumped onto me, into my arms and hooked his head over my shoulder. I rubbed his back with both hands and he panted, then climbed off of me and looked up at me as I got up. I smiled down at him, receiving a bark in return.

I entered my room again, and laid on my bed, my arms barely able to spread out on it. I took the envelope out of my bag again and read through the rest of the letters. I sighed, not knowing what to do anymore for the next two days until Saturday.

I smiled at the thought of being able to go out with him. There probably wouldn't be a problem with going out that day anyways.

When my mother came home, I asked her.

"Hey mom, we're leaving on Sunday, right?"  
"Oh. Actually.. Your father will be in a meeting all day on Sunday, so we're leaving on Saturday. Why?"  
"Oh.. Really?" I asked, disappointed. "It's nothing. I just wanted to go out that day."  
"With Izuki?"  
"Why do you ask that first?" I frowned, blushing.  
"Is it?" She smiled. I nodded slightly.  
"We can leave later then. At 4:30pm then? Is that alright?" She offered.  
I smiled and hugged her, thanking her.  
"Are you dating or what? Why are you so excited?" She asked while being shaken by me.  
"..no."  
"Oh that's right, you like him." She said bluntly.  
"Mom!"

She laughed and she ruffled my hair. "Have fun but not too much fun." She walked around me and placed her stuff in her room.  
"Mom, are you coming to my graduation tomorrow?"  
"I'm not sure. I probably will. It's at 2, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"Hm.. I think I can work something out," she pondered.  
"Okay. I'm going to go to sleep now," I said, turning to my room. I sighed, watching Kou sit in his little corner and sleeping. His blanket was pulled up half way on him and I pulled it up over the rest of him. I left my room to get ready for sleep, and fell asleep hoping for Saturday to come quickly.

My mother didn't show up for graduation the next day, because she was too busy. After the graduation, there were many tearful people who would part ways to different high schools.  
_"I'm glad I'm not parting with Izuki,"_ I thought. I kept walking around, looking for the said boy. I stood on my toes, looking over the heads of swarming people. I felt an arm grab out at mine and I turned around.

"Hey Setsuno," Hyuga said.  
"Hello Hyuga." I replied.  
"Are you looking for Izuki?" He asked. I blushed, nodding. He smirked and signaled me to follow him.  
"Setsuno, I want to do something, so just play along." He said while we approached Izuki.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Just let me. Maybe it'll bring good results, if I can lead it into the right direction." He said. Before we broke though the last line of people to Izuki, Hyuga  
grabbed my hand and walked towards him. I blushed, now confused but remained still as he told me to.  
"Izuki! I found her." He said, waving to him but still holding my hand. Izuki looked down at our hands.  
"Why.. What..?" Izuki pointed at our hands.  
"We're dating." Hyuga said bluntly. I blushed, now really confused and embarrassed.  
"Oh.." Izuki said, a little pale.  
"Congratulations, then," he smiled a little.  
Hyuga chuckled and let go of my hand. "Izuki we're kidding."  
Izuki looked up quickly, a look of relief on his face.  
"Really?" Izuki asked. Hyuga nodded.  
"You don't need to get so upset. After all, she's saving herself for you as a wife." Hyuga said.  
Izuki and I both blushed red and said nothing. I cleared my throat, quickly wanting to change the topic.  
"Izuki, can we exchange numbers in case anything happens before tomorrow?" I asked.  
"What's happening tomorrow?" Hyuga asked as Izuki pulled his phone out of his pocket. We exchanged numbers and put our phones away.  
"We're going out." He said.  
"Oh?" He grinned.  
"Not that kind of 'going out!'" He shouted, then sighed. "Hyuga just please stop this.." He groaned.  
"Then just take my advice already." He said. I also then recalled to something Hyuga said yesterday and I pulled his arm.  
"Hyuga I need to say something to you." I pulled him away from Izuki.  
"What?"  
"Well, yesterday, when you said 'you have feelings for that moron too,' right?" I said, trying to keep a straight face.  
"Yeah. Why?"  
"Why 'too?'"  
"Because it is not one sided." Hyuga said.  
"Then.. That means.." I continued, feeling butterflies in my stomach.  
"YES. Do I need to spell it out for you?" Hyuga groaned. I blushed, feeling really happy, happier than when I was accepted into Seirin.  
"Calm down, I can see the flowers flying out of you," Hyuga said. I tried to keep on a poker face, but it came back out into a smile. I giggled, my happiness containment cracking. Hyuga also laughed a little at my behavior. We walked back and i looked at Izuki, smiling and happy.

"Setsuno? I want to ask a question for tomorrow.." Izuki said. "Can you leave for a second?" He asked, talking to Hyuga. Hyuga nodded and left us.  
"So tomorrow.. Do you want to come over to my house?" He suggested.  
"..Sure."  
"Also.."  
"Yes?"  
"I know it'll be awkward if you refuse.. but.. I.. well.. um.. " He said, trailing off and blushing.  
"Izuki, what is it?"  
"Please go out with me!" he said with a determined and red face.  
"Wha-" I stuttered, blushing now too. I stared at him incredulously, silent. His determined face began to crumble away with every passing second.

"Then.. I'll be in your care," I said after a while. He said the same back, and now really unable to contain my happiness, I jumped onto him and hugged him tightly. My cheek smushed again his chest and I smiled, relishing the feel of his warmth. He was taken back at my action, but still wrapped his arms back around me, resting his cheek on the top of my head. He tightened his embrace for a moment, then released me again. He pulled away, and rested his forehead on top of mine. I stared at his face, looking over every detail of it and I smiled up at him. He smiled back and I giggled. He moved his face down to the side of my neck and nuzzled his face into it. I blushed, the closeness getting to me. Yet, I still hugged him, keeping the close distance. I, in return, nuzzled the side of my cheek against his head.

"Let's go home now," he said after a few minutes. I nodded, smiling at him.  
"You have never smiled this much before," he laughed.  
"I'm pretty sure the reason is obvious," I said back. I walked along his side and we continued talking until we reached the intersection. I looked in the direction  
of my house sadly and looked at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, and gave a short hug before departing. He waved goodbye and walked away. I watched his back disappear in the distance and I sighed, making my way home.  
I walked into my house, met with Kou, and walked upstairs. By now it was almost 6pm and I sat down, not knowing what to do anymore. I changed into a t-shirt and shorts, then sat down at my desk and pulled out a few pieces of computer paper, deciding to draw a picture. After a few minutes of trying to figure what to draw, I gave up and left my room.

I found Kou rolling around on the rug and he jumped up when he saw me. I decided to play with him for a while, and it soon became 7. I looked into the fridge, about to cook something for dinner. Sighing, I found a nearly empty fridge. I had forgotten to get groceries a few days before and I've been too lazy. I left the house and bought the groceries. Coming home again, I began to cook dinner for two people. At around 8, I was cooking and I heard my door open. I turned out the kitchen to see my mother walking through the door.

"What're you making? It smells good," she said, setting her stuff down on the floor in the corner.  
"I made dinner. Go get ready for dinner," I said as I stirred the food in the pan.  
"Alright," she replied, sighing as she walked up the stairs with her luggage she retrieved from the corner. She came back down later, in comfortable clothing and ready to eat. I placed the rest of the food on the table and sat down as she sat.  
"It was on sale, so I've made you some. I know you like this kind of fish, too," I smiled at her.  
"I do believe you're at the house wife level by now," she said and took a bit of her food. "And you cooked it the way I like it. What's gotten into you today?" She asked.  
"Nothing," I said nonchalantly.  
"Something happened," she accused. I looked at her, contemplating whether or not I should tell her.  
"Akira don't you be hiding anything from me," she said.  
"It's nothing. I'm just looking forward to tomorrow." I said.  
"For your father or for Izuki?" She asked, grinning.  
"Both."  
"Oh? So open about it now, are you?"  
"Uh.. Well, I mean.. Just earlier, we started..." I trailed off.  
"Started what?"  
"..dating.."  
She looked at me with a shocked face, then a smile.  
"I'm happy for you," she said. "And I approve of him. He seems like a nice guy."  
"He is," I smiled, thinking about him. I continued eating with her and we spoke about her job as a photographer, that she would be able to go to Dad without having to really take days off. As long as she sent in pictures. We finished eating, cleared off the table, and washed the dishes. I shuffled upstairs to shower after she finished her own shower.  
Sighing, I laid in bed after I blow dried my hair. I rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I felt around for my phone and saw a new text from Izuki.

_7:47 _

_"What time should we meet until when?"_

I frantically looked at the clock. It read 9:20. Quickly I texted back.

_9:21_

_"Sorry Izuki. I wasn't near my phone. Whenever to meet up is okay with me, but I must be home by at least 4:15." _

I locked my phone and it buzzed again a minute later.

_9:22_

_"Do you want to meet up at 10:30, then? If you don't mind spending that much time with me, we can meet earlier." _

I texted back at 9:33 :

_"Won't you get bored of me after 6 whole hours? lol" _

Soon enough, he replied.

9:35

_"No. Not at all."_

I blushed, and began typing back to him.

_9:36_

_"Then at 9:45?" _

_9:39_

_"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. And I'll come pick you up. Good night" _he typed, ending our conversation. I smiled, thinking of how we would spend our day together tomorrow.

Early next morning, I woke up at around 8:00 to start. I went to the bathroom and carried on with my normal morning routines. I walked into my room, opening up my suitcase packed for my trip to my father's place. I took out some clothes to wear and i chose a red and black plaid flannel and a pair of jean shorts. I went the the bathroom and actually combed my hair, trying to place it in place and made sure I looked fine. At 8:40, I laid on my bed for a few more minutes, sighing. I was so tired, but excited and the excitement overwhelmed the other feeling. About 30 minutes later, I got back up, fixing myself up a little again and went downstairs. I waited inside for about 5 more minutes until Izuki came by. I opened the door and he stood there, smiling at me.  
"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded and left the house, locking up and leaving.  
"You _are_ okay with coming to my home, right?"  
"Of course. I'm okay with it," I replied. "I've also been wanting to know how your house would look like," I smiled.  
"A shrine, of course."  
"What?"  
"Wasn't I your god?"  
"I can't date my God, Izuki." I laughed.  
"Fine with me, then. I'll throw away my title of a God."  
We kept walking for a few more minutes and we said nothing. I began to feel uncomfortable with an awkward air.

_"There's nothing to talk about.. Think about SOMETHING," _I mentally yelled at myself.  
"Setsuno," he called out suddenly.  
"Yeah?" I answered back, caught off guard.  
"May I call you by your given name at this point?" he asked.  
"Only if you're okay with me calling you by your given name," I said.  
"Okay," he smiled at me.  
"And if you stop smiling at me like that so much! It makes my heart hurt," I blamed.  
"I can't help it," he laughed. "It's only natural to smile at the person you love."  
I blushed, looking down at my shoes.  
"..Shun?" I called out quietly.  
"Yes, Akira?" he smiled again.  
"..." I didn't say anything back.  
"You're adorable," he said, laughing. He grabbed my hand and weaved his fingers through mine, bringing both up to his face and kissing the back of my hand. I blushed again and pulled my hand back, keeping it to myself.  
"Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head.  
"It's okay.. I was just surprised.. I didn't take you as that kind of boyfriend," I said.  
"Sorry," he repeated.  
"No, no! I don't mind if you are.. it's just I wasn't expecting it," I reasoned frantically.  
"..So it's okay if I do it again?"  
"..yes.." I said quietly. He pulled me towards him and he hugged me, kissing my forehead. I felt my face heat up instantly, but I stayed in the same spot, not pushing him away. He left my face and I looked at him, his arms still wrapped around me. I stayed still, hesitating, but then kissed his cheek and pushed away from him, walking off quickly, but slow enough for him to catch up since I still didn't know where his house was.

"Akira that was mean," he laughed.  
"Shut up," I said.  
He grabbed my arm from behind me and I braced myself. I looked at him after scrunching myself up and he smiled, then looked to my right. I followed his gaze and there laid a large, traditional Japanese house.  
"This is my home," he said.  
"It's so pretty," I said, still surprised.  
"I know." he grabbed my hand again and walked towards the house.


	7. Chapter 7

Black cat ch 7

Note: I did not know until now that I'm Japan, schools started and ended in April. I've been going by US's school schedule (start in September, end in June) So please keep that in mind, as I will keep it like that to prevent my own confusion. Thanks :) and sorry for the late updates.. I have tests.

"Welcome back, Shun," a woman said. "And, welcome, Setsuno-san," she smiled to me.  
"Thank you for having me!" I bowed, stuttering. She moved aside, signaling us to come in. Shun told me to go ahead and I walked in, taking my shoes off at the door mat. He walked in behind me and slipped his shoes off too.  
"If you need me, I'll be in my work room," she said, smiling and she walked off.  
"Alright.. So.. Let's go to my room, then," he said. I nodded and followed him as we walked there. I observed my surroundings and saw a door open, revealing a small girl that looked like Izuki.

"Shun?" She called out. Izuki stopped and kneeled down to her.  
"Hey, little sis," he said.  
"Did you eat breakfast while I was out?" he asked. She nodded quickly and smiled. He got up and stood next to me.  
"This is Mai, my littler sister. Mai, this is Setsuno Akira," he introduced.  
"Hi, Mai," I said, smiling. She stared at me for a while wondrously.  
"You have pretty eyes," she giggled. I blushed, feeling self conscious.  
"..thank you.." I said anyways.  
"See, Akira? Your eyes are very pretty," Shun said. I blushed more at the fact that he was saying something like that.  
"Setsuno-chan are you big brother's girlfriend?" Mai asked, looking up at me. I sputtered, but he answered before I did.  
"She is. So make sure you're extra nice to her." he said.  
"Really? You're his first one then?" Mai pressed on.  
"Yes," Shun sighed, now becoming flustered. Mai giggled and ran past downstairs. Shun looked at me and shrugged and we walked into his room.

"You're so open about this.." I said, sitting down somewhere.  
"Why not? It's just my family, anyways," he said, sitting down right next to me. I shifted over a little, blushing at his close proximity. He chuckled and pulled me back to him. He hooked his arm around my shoulder and leaned his head against my other shoulder closer to him. I felt physically calmer, but my heart was racing faster.  
"What do you want to do today?" I asked.  
"I want to.. Well since I won't get to see you for the next two months after this..." he said.  
"What..?"  
He didn't answer back verbally, but he hugged me back with both arms. I didn't do anything, too scared I would offend him again and leaned towards him. He kept one arm around me and held my hand with his other. I leaned my head back onto his shoulder with my face turned towards his neck.  
I kept my eyes half open, too embarrassed to see his face. We stayed in the same position for a couple of minutes before I moved out of his arms.  
"Do you perhaps want to go around town, if there's not really much to do?" I suggested.  
"Hm... Sure," he said. He got up and walked out of the room while I followed closely.  
"Mom, we're going to go out for a while," Shun said to his mom.  
"Alright!" She replied.

We put our shoes back on and we left the house. "Where do you want to go?" He asked.  
"No where in particular, really. Just anywhere," I replied.  
"How about we go to a park, then?"  
"A park? Why not?" I smiled.  
We turned at a corner, a few more times, and we arrived at a large park, with lots of hills.  
"This feels somewhat nostalgic," I laughed.  
"Why is that?"  
"When I was a lot younger, I would playin the hills with Sei-chan. Before I moved here, of course."  
"...'Sei-chan'.." He mumbled.  
"What?"  
"Nothing," he frowned and kept walking.  
"What is it, Izuki?" I asked.  
"I told you that it's nothing," he repeated. He stopped for a bit and frowned again.  
"Izuki why are you so upset? Did I do something wrong?" I panicked.  
"Two things," he finally said.  
"What? What did I do?" I frantically said.  
"You reverted back to calling my family name," he said.  
"Eh? Ah, sorry. It's a habit.. I still must get used to it. But is that really something you got upset about? Never mind, what's the other reason?"  
"And why is he 'Sei-chan'?" He continued.  
"Why? ..his name is Seijuro..?"  
"Why does he get a nickname like that?" He pouted.  
I gaped at him, completely shocked.  
"You were jealous," i said slowly.  
He didn't reply or show any movements of nodding or shaking his head.  
"Shun, were you jealous?" I pressed, smiling a little.  
"...yes.." He said quietly.  
"You're so cute," I giggled.  
"Why is that something to laugh about?" He asked, flustered.  
"Hm, then what do you want me to call you? You're name is already only one syllable so I thought it was unnecessary."  
"I want you to call me something like that too..."  
"You're very childish right now, Shun," I said.  
"I don't care," he said.  
"Sorry," I apologized.  
"Why sorry?"  
"I didn't mean to be insensitive to this."  
"It's fine. It's not a big deal," he sighed, but smiled to me again afterwards.  
"Shun-chan, then? Is that okay with you?" I blushed, but kept a straight face.  
"I told you, it's fine," he said, but his face was a little pink too.  
"Shun-chan," I called out.  
He turned around to face me, but I already attached myself to him, wrapping my arms around his tightly.  
"I love you more than anything else," I said, trying to look him in the eye, but I was too embarrassed. I looked back down and I continued burying my face into  
his chest.  
"Sorry. I was being arrogant and childish just now," he said.  
"It's fine. Let's continue our date," I suggested. He nodded subtly. We parted and he took my hand, weaving our fingers together.

Trying to change the topic from our moment before, I said "wasn't there an accident on this hill during winter? A sledding accident, I think."  
"Ah, that's right.. I guess the hill's pretty steep," he said, not moving up any more.  
"Hiru ha hirumazu hiruzu deeto!" He said. (Translation: undaunted by a date in the hills at lunchtime)  
I stopped too, processing his pun and laughed a couple of seconds later. I kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand.  
He blushed, though, and he nuzzled his cheek against mine. I smiled, now hugging him with my chin resting on his shoulder as I looked up at the sky. My chest felt warm and my stomach felt queasy from affection. I hugged his tighter, and buried my face into his neck.  
"Akira, we only have 5 and a half more hours until you leave," he said, his voice vibrating through his chest to mine.  
"I know," my voice muffled by his neck. He shivered from the vibration and he pulled away with a red face.  
I felt my phone ringing in my bag now and I picked it up.  
"Hello?"  
"Aki. Where are you? You're usually here by at least 10."  
"Ah. Good morning, Sei-chan. I'm out with someone right now, and we'll be leaving here at around 4:30." I said.  
"Who?"  
"You don't know him," I said.  
"Hm. Fine. When I visit this Golden Week break, if I can, then he better expect a meeting with me."  
"Sei-chan you sound like an overprotective father," I laughed.  
"I don't need any repeats of what happened two years ago," he said. I fell silent, thinking back at him, but I shook him away, looking back at Izuki.  
"It'll be alright.. I trust him," I said. Izuki was watching two birds flap around and I smiled lovingly at him. The birds flew behind me and his gaze fell upon me,  
flustered to see that I was watching and smiling at him.  
"Sei-chan, I'll see you later," I said.  
"Alright. Try not to eat to heavy of a lunch, we'll go out later for dinner together," he said before saying good bye and hanging up.

"Shun-chan," I called out. He turned around, and came towards me.  
"Let's sit down," I said, walking towards a bench while holding his hand. He sat down closely after I sat.  
"Do you want to watch a movie?" I suggested.  
"what do you want to watch?"  
"I don't know. Whatever you want."  
"I don't really have anything I want to watch right now. But, after we're done here, let's go into town," he said while looking back up at the sky.  
"Okay," I smiled to the sky now as well.  
"Shun-chan, when is your birthday?" I asked, still stuttering with his "nick"name.  
"October 23rd" he said, also still flustered about the name.  
"Hmm.. Okay. That's good, then," I sighed, relieved.  
"Why? When is your's?"  
"In 15 days, exactly."  
"March 31st?" He asked frantically. I nodded in response before asking why he was acting like that.  
"I won't be able to see you when you celebrate your birthday, then?" He frowned. I blinked, now giggling at his adorable frown.  
"I'll be happy with just a call from you," I reassured.  
"But.." He sighed, still frowning.  
"It's fine."  
"Okay.. But when you return, expect a celebration," he bargained.  
"I'll be looking forward to it," I smiled.  
"I can't even buy a gift for you now.." He pouted.  
"I told you, it's fine."  
It was already 4:00 and we were returning from the town after an eventful date of puns and fun. I tried to walk slowly, walking behind him a little bit so he slowed down too. He was holding my hand again and I felt my stomach churn from love towards him. I looked down and saw how his large hand engulfed mine. We began approaching my house now and frowned, not wanting to leave. My newly bought ring that hung on a chain clinked under my shirt and I gripped it, reminiscing about today's date.

"Shun, you really didn't have to buy anything.. Especially two of them." I said.  
"Why? It was the least I could do. And they remind me of you," he said, holding his ring that matched mine. "Won't you wear it?" He asked.  
I shook my head quickly. "I don't want to lose it. Or break it. I'd rather have it on a chain. I'll put it on two in case, too," I said.  
Izuki looked at me for a bit and I felt scared that he might have taken it offensively.  
He laughed soon, though and quoted the last line I said. I cocked my head, confused but soon understood why he was laughing. I smiled at him and hugged him  
outside my house. He looked over at the said house then at me, frowning sadly and hugged me back.  
"I'll see you soon," he said. Shun turned around and I opened my mouth, wanting to stall him, but nothing came out except for a call of his name. Turning back around, he was stopped halfway as I leapt onto him and hugged him again. He patted my head and cupped my face in his hands. I looked at his face and he was smiling at me happily. He rested his forehead on mine again, as he did yesterday, and he leant towards me, closing the already short distance between us. I closed my eyes frantically, nervous. He gently placed another kiss between my eyes and another on my lips. I looked at him and mentally cried of his adorable face.

His face was flushed from happiness and embarrassment while he was smiling at me. I held his face in my hands again and I kissed him another time before parting from him. He was warm and I felt like I could've stayed there for longer but parted soon enough. I held a hand while I was across him now and he squeezed it before leaving. I now entered my home with a red-tinted face.

"Aki-chan? Are you ready?" My mother called out from God knows where.  
"Yes. I just need to bring out my bags," I called back.  
I took her car keys and started bringing my luggage outside and a few bags she left at the door she wanted me to bring outside.  
"Akira!" I heard someone call out. I looked behind me quickly at the familiar call of my name. Shun was still standing there and he came back to me, running. turned towards him and he kissed me quickly. My head spun from all the kissing in the last two minutes.  
"I want to see you off," he said.  
"Eh? Ah sure."  
I walked back into my house with small steps and I brought Kou out so he could see Shun. Kou's face lit up as he barked happily at the said boy.

My heart kept beating with each second he watched my movements as he waited for me to finish packing and lugging.  
After a couple more minutes as I put the last case in and checked everything, my mother came out and I frowned irritably.  
"Why the long face?" My mom asked.  
"..it's nothing."  
She shrugged, then jumped as she noticed Shun.  
"Oh! Hello there, Izuki. I didn't even see you there," my mom said.  
"Hello," he greeted with a friendly smile.  
"Well.. We'll be leaving now," my mom said to us. I looked at him and took in the sight, remembering each shadow and shine. I stared lovingly at him and gave  
him one last hug before climbing into the car.

Kou barked and whined, sensing my upset mood. I ruffled his fur and giggled, already being relieved of my sadness. Kou laid on top of my lap and stuck his head out the window, his tongue also now stuck out of his mouth at Shun.  
"Bye Shun-chan." I waved good bye and watched him disappear in the distance.  
I felt my eyes dry up and I stayed still.  
"You'll see him soon," my mom reassured. I nodded and kept a straight face and tried falling asleep until we arrived at Dad's house.  
"Aki-chan, we're here," a voice said.  
My eyes opened and I saw that it was it was just about dark now and I rubbed my eyes. My mom started her way towards the door to dad's house and I got up. Walking towards the door, I picked up my pace. I watched the door open with a comfortable yellow light pouring out and a familiar face poke through the door. Dad smiled at us and I rushed to him, giving him a hug with mom.

"How I've missed you two," he said, grunting from the lack of air.  
"Aki," he said. I looked at him and smiled.  
"That Seijuuro already has a grand plan for your birthday coming up," he smiled in return.  
"Why?" I sighed. "Every year I tell him it's not necessary."  
"Haha, just enjoy the moment." He said. He stopped for a moment and had a sad look in his eyes, but continued laughing again. I furrowed my brows in confusion.  
"Dad..? What was that?"  
"It's nothing, Aki-chan," my mom said quickly.  
"Aki, we need to talk.." He said.  
"Not now," my mom hushed urgently.  
"Mom?"  
"We need to tell her at some point," my dad said.  
"Not now," she answered with more emphasis.  
"I'm right here! Just tell me," I shouted, frustrated now.  
"Aki-chan, we'll tell you when the time comes. But not now," my mom said, trying to calm me.  
"What? What is it that you must keep a secret from your own daughter who is just about 16?" I asked.  
"Akira. Later, we will tell you. That's it," she said sternly.  
"Tell me now," I insisted.  
She sighed and told me to wait inside the house as my two parents went off to the car and talked quietly with each other. I tried to listen, but they were out of  
range.

I frowned, upset that they were hiding something from me. It must have had to be big if they're arguing over whether or not to tell me.  
I tried to figure it out.  
_"Okay, so he seemed to have remembered it upon my arrival, more accurately when he himself mentioned Sei-chan's plans for my birthday.. Perhaps 'Grand plan' triggered it? What would it be, though.. Is it even about Sei-chan? Hm.. It can't be anything with my current life back in (old location). It can't be something with school transfers or the like or I would've already known. Are we moving back? No.. She would've told me that too. Well, maybe after I graduate high school, but it wouldn't be that big of a deal.."_ I though to myself, racking my brain.

I heard them enter the house again and I looked at them. Dad looked completely guilty as my mother was angered.  
_"It's rare they're like this. And within a minute? What is it?"_ I thought.  
I watched Kou run up to me and nudge me with his nose, pawing at me in an attempt to paw away the confused aura from me. I smiled at him and picked him up, setting him on my lap.  
"At least Kou won't keep secrets from me," I muttered into his fur. He barked and licked my face.

After we finished bringing everything into our large home, I laid on my newly made bed with clean sheets. I smelled the disinfectants recently used by dad to clean everything up before we got here. I ran my hand through the cool sheets and I frowned.  
"Shun-chan.." I unconsciously called out. An image of him came to mind and my heart thumped loudly in my chest. I looked at my phone, wanting to call him. I stopped myself, though because I felt too clingy. Frowning, I mustered up will power and shut the phone off. But I kept staring at the phone.  
"Ah.. Today's a month before Shin-tan's birthday.." I looked at the date on my phone. I closed my eyes a little, focusing in on the fact that it was only 6:30 and I didn't have anything to do.  
"It's too late to go to Sei-chan's. I've nothing," I groaned to myself quietly.

Suddenly, my phone began vibrating and I jumped, not expecting it.  
_INCOMING CALL: __IZUKI_

I picked the phone up hastily, eager to once more hear his voice.  
"Shun," I said.  
"Hey. Are you there yet?" He asked.  
"Yes. I'm in the house now," I confirmed.  
"Okay. Well, I just wanted to make sure you got there.. So.. Unless you have more to say or the like, I'll be hanging up now," he said.  
"..Thank you for your concern. But, do you mind talking to me a bit longer? I've nothing to do," I requested.  
"Sure." He added a light chuckle and I couldn't help but to smile either.  
It was cruel, really, for us to be separated the day after we started dating.  
"How will you even be spending your days there?" He asked.  
Well, I'll either go out with Sei-chan or the rest of the "Generation of Miracles," I answered. "Same as every year."  
"Are you close with the other members?"  
"Yeah."  
"With who are you closest to?"  
"Sei-chan. Why?"  
"I mean, after him," he asked.  
"Hmmm.. I guess Te-chan."  
"'Te-chan?'"  
"Ah, his whole name is 'Kuroko Tetsuya," I explained.  
".. I see.." He said after a few seconds. "Who do you not get along with most?"  
"Well.. I guess that'd have to be Atsushi. I mean, I don't dislike him, but we never speak together."  
"What kind of person is he?"  
"He's lazy, and super tall, and really strong. He's got a bottomless pit of a stomach for snacks too."  
"I see.. Ah, I have to get going now," he said.  
"Okay.. I'll talk with you another time," i replied a little sadly.  
"I'll call you soon.. Akira," he said.  
"Yeah?"  
"..I love you. And miss you," he said quickly before hanging up.

I blushed, looking at the ceiling and heard the tone and shut my phone off. I hugged my pillow as his substitute and I frowned while blushing.  
"He's just making it harder to part from him.." I muttered in a frustrated tone.  
A second later, I got another incoming call.  
"Hello?" I asked.  
"Akira, I told you already to tell me when you arrive at your home. Why did you forget this time?" He asked.  
"Sorry.. I got distracted. And.. Sei-chan, do you know anything I don't that my parents also know?"  
"Hm.. Well, that would have to be.. Ah. Well, they requested me not to tell you quite yet. They did not inform me why I should not, but I will follow through with  
it anyways," he said.  
"Seijuro, don't keep anything from me." I demanded.  
"Who are you to tell me such a thing?" He said back in the same tone.  
"I'm older than you. Tell me what this is," I continued.  
"You wield less power," he countered. I grit my teeth and groaned.  
"Sei-chan, please tell me?" I emphasized the "please"  
"No."  
"Then when?"  
They'll be the ones to tell you such a thing," he said, now calmer.

"I don't like how everyone knows something that concerns me, yet they refuse to tell me.." I mumbled."That's no problem. You'll know in due time." He said before hanging up.  
I sat on my bed, more confused now. I closed my eyes to think about the possibilities.  
"So Sei-chan is involved. He knows yet I don't. In due time. What do I have that won't last forever?" I thought out loud.  
My eyes snapped open and I sat up.  
"No.. Something like that, only he would have to be okay with.." I shook my thought away and left my room.

**Location change: Akashi mansion, 3rd POV**

"Young master, it's time for dinner," a maid called through the door.  
"I'll be coming shortly," Akashi answered.  
"Yes," the maid replied once more before taking her leave.

The red head placed him phone down on his desk and knelt down onto the floor. He opened a drawer and took out a small box. He looked inside, gazing at it for a while, taking the sight in once more, after many times, and sighed. He shut the box again with a silent sound and closed the drawer, leaving his room to eat his dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

Black Cat ch 8

There won't be as many appearances for Izuki in this chapter. I will probably skip most of thevacations and fill in the rest of the events along the way during the new school year.

"Good morning," I said as Sei-chan opened the door to his mansion.  
"Good morning," he replied and let me in.  
It was the next day and I was now visiting the red head. I walked inside the familiar mansion that looked nearly the same as last year.  
I sat down in his room as he slid his door shut and he sighed.  
"Akira, we will be away most of this vacation, actually. Away training at an inn for your birthday, he said.  
"Eh?"  
"We will be leaving this break." He repeated, irritated.  
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I asked.  
"Well, okay then. Where are we going?" I asked.  
"Beach."  
"I see.. Will everyone else be there?"  
"Yes."  
"Even Tecchan?"  
"Kuroko? Yes."  
"Yay," I smiled happily.  
"Do you want to go around town," he asked.  
"Well.. Sure, I guess." I said. I got up and my chain under my shirt jingled against the ring I received yesterday from Shun. Sei-chan, upon hearing this, waited for me to finish standing before he reached for my chest. I watched his hand in a confused manner, tensing up. He gently picked the chain up and it was pulled out of my shirt.

"What is this?" He asked.  
"A gift.." I stopped, still thinking.  
"From this new friend of your's?"  
I nodded in response and he sighed, looking at it a little longer.  
"Why not wear it?"  
"Well, I don't want to lose or break it. He bought a matching one with me," I explained.  
"Why a matching one?"  
"..." I struggled with telling him, especially after last night's events and thought processes.  
"Well, it's just a promise he won't be manipulating me.. I guess. Just a ring of friendship?" I said, lying. He narrowed his eyes at me and sighed.  
"You don't need to lie about it," he said, letting go of the ring and left his room. I followed behind him, but kept my distance.  
"When do we leave for the camp?" I asked later, when we were already out in town.  
"In a week, until the end of next month," he said.  
"That long? Are you sure my parents said okay?"  
"Yes."  
"Well, alright." I sighed, a bit upset.  
"What now," he asked, irritated.  
"Eh? Nothing. Just a bit excited for a new school to go to."

He eyes me suspiciously but shrugged it off.  
"Sei-chan?" I called out as he started walking from me. "Where are we going?"  
"Home," he said.  
I looked up at the sky was tinted pink and orange. I frowned, thinking back to Shun. I bit my lip, wanting to see him.  
_"I want to see him.." _I sighed a little, feeling a painful sensation sprouting in my chest.

"Akira, are you ready yet?" I heard Sei-chan say. It was at least 4 right now and we were just about to leave.  
"Yeah, I'm just checking for some stuff," I replied. I rummaged lightly though my bags again and zipped them up, and swung them over my shoulder. I quickly stepped outside and he escorted me into his car. I sat down and he soon sat near me after he closed the door, his servant driving. After telling the said servant of where to go, Sei-chan settled down into the seat and sighed.  
"The inn is about.. 30 minutes away from here, isn't it?" I asked.  
He nodded and leaned against the car window.  
"I see," I said in return. Between us laid our bags. Mostly mine though. I leaned against the window and stared. I watched the passing cars and trees. I was  
listening to my music from my phone, drowning myself in the music and my own thoughts. I gradually began thinking about Shun, though, and I felt myself relax. I found myself smiling a little with each second thinking about him. I played with the chain around my neck with his ring. I felt a form of heaviness form in my chest and I sniffled. I felt warmth spilling out of my eyes and I quickly began wiping them away.  
"Would you like a tissue, ma'am?" The driver asked, feeling unsure.  
"No, it's alright," I reassured with a smile.  
"Akira, what is it?" I heard Sei-chan ask.  
"It's nothing. Sorry," I apologized.  
"Come here."  
I switched places with our luggage placing it on the side as I moved next to him. I was still facing him and he motioned me to still come closer. As I leaned towards him, he pulled me in, and hung an arm over my shoulder while bringing my legs across his lap so I was completely facing him. I blushed a little, confused and he pushed my face into his chest. Feeling his familiar warmth, I relaxed, releasing my tears into his shirt. He began stroking my hair with his hand that had once brought my legs over his lap.

"Sei-chan," I whined, still crying.  
"What is it?" He said quietly.  
I continued whining, refusing to answer him. I cried, soaking his shirt that caught my tears.  
"Give me a tissue, please." Sei-chan said to the driver. the driver nodded and rummaged though a small box, revealing a package of tissues and he handed them to Sei-chan. The redhead took one out and began rubbing my eyes with the soft material.  
"Stop crying."  
I blinked, trying to blink away the tears. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down, but it barely worked. I was no longer crying profusely, but I was still sniffling with some tears rolling down my face. He continued to wipe away tears from my face with the damp tissue and I eventually stopped. I continued whimpering, though. Sei-chan continued petting me, trying to comfort me.

POV change: 3rd

He kept stroking her head in an attempt to calm her down, but it did not work well. "Stop crying," he said pathetically, still trying to comfort her. She obeyed, but not in a way he wanted her to. She now was whining like a crying dog into the rich teen's chest. Akashi looked down at the frail body that twisted into his warmth like a plant that twisted toward their source of sun light. He felt a pleasant warmth from the thought of him being her light of sorts and he gathered her into his arms firmly. She inhaled sharply, but she hugged him back.

"S...-chan.." She mumbled into his chest. His eyes widened slightly in affection and he looked out the window, trying to distract himself, though it didn't do him any good and he was stuck with those vexing feelings for the rest of the twenty minutes.

When the girl stirred, she was already on the bus, sitting next to Akashi. She looked at him, trying not to move her head, as she realized her head was resting on his shoulder and his head upon hers. The red head slept peacefully and quietly with a serene face.

POV change: 1st, to Setsuno.

I blushed a little, thinking back to our time on the car. I didn't mean to call out to Shun unconsciously while crying on Sei-chan's shoulder._"I hope he didn't hear me,"_ I thought. I slowly twisted my arm to look at my watch. It's been atleast an hour since we boarded the car, meaning we were probably almost there. Unless I got my information wrong. As if the twisted the arm was like an electric bolt, Sei-chan jumped awake, and exhaled a deep sigh. He lifted himself off of me and I leaned against the window now, trying to make out if we were almost there.

"We're almost there," Sei-chan said. I nodded and tried to look around a little. I clearly saw the purple headed teen, but that was it. I looked down as I heard my luggage drop onto the floor and I sighed, picking it back up. As I bent down, I heard the jingling chains and I smiled, thinking now again of Shun, but with a more positive thought. The smile quickly faded away as I recalled to my car ride with Sei-chan while he comforted me.

"Hey, Sei-chan... In the car before, I didn't happen to be... Muttering something while I was asleep, was I?"  
"You were. A person's name, I believe," he turned to fully face me now. "You made the sound of an 's' and that was all I heard."  
I blushed, and I asked, "you didn't hear the name?"  
He shook his head subtly.  
I sighed in relief, afraid that he would be bombarding me with questions.  
"Who were you calling out to?" He asked now.  
"Huh? Eh... No one.." I muttered quickly.  
"Who was it?" He asked again.  
"... It's no one." I said as I stood up, ready to get off the parking bus. I shuffled past him quickly and got off the bus, nearly collapsing from not walking for a  
while.

"Please be careful, Setsuno-kun," I heard as a familiar and docile boy said to me.  
"Hi, Tecchan," I said, smiling. It sure felt weird, reuniting with a person who you used to love.  
"How are you?" he asked with a polite smile.  
"Well, as I hope you are also," I said back. He nodded quietly and we stood there, waiting for everyone else to leave the bus.  
"you haven't changed much," I remarked.  
"Neither have you. Except for the significant change in hair length," he pointed out, pointing out how long my hair was.  
"I'm planning on getting it cut soon."  
"I see.. Also, where will you be attending for your high school years?" He asked.  
"Seirin," I replied.  
"Hm.. I don't believe I'm familiar with that school," he confessed.  
"Ah, it's still very new. But it's worth a try.." I was about to add more, but I decided to leave it at that.  
"Seirin.." Tecchan repeated. I smiled at him, his still adorable face pondering and always calm.  
"Tecchan, you're so cute," I smiled more, hugging him a little. "You remind me of a little puppy."  
"A dog? Why a dog of all things?" He asked.  
"I'm not sure. It's just how I imagine you. A cute and small dog that's very obedient and docile," I explained.  
"..I will say thank you and leave it at that." He said wisely. I laughed a little at his response and waited alongside with him.  
"Setsuno-san, there is a strange lump in your shirt," he pointed at my ring hidden under my shirt.  
"Oh. It's a gift from a friend," I smiled. I took it out of my shirt and I looked at it, smiling in thought of him.  
"An important friend, I assume."  
"Very," I said back.

After everyone got off the bus and loaded into the small inn we were staying in, I unpacked my bags and laid on my futon. There were two other ones in the room and I watched Sei-chan walk in too.  
"Are we sharing the room?" I asked.  
"Yes. I would rather you not sleep with other people than those I know and trust," he explained.  
"Well, there's one more. Who'll be using that one?" I asked.  
"I will," I heard a voice say. I looked over and saw Tecchan near the futon and I nodded.

"You trust Tetsuya, at least, right?" Sei-chan asked.  
"Yeah. You two are the ones I feel most comfortable with," I smiled.  
"Good," he said shortly before leaving the room.  
I sighed, plopping down on the futon again and sighed.  
"Setsuno-san, are you alright? Your eyes are a little red as if you've been crying," Tecchan asked in a worried voice.  
"Yeah, but I'm fine. No need to worry," I smiled at him.  
"If you want to tell me, I'll be there for you," he smiled at me reassuringly. I was taken back at his generous gesture and I walked over to him, and hugged him.  
"Tecchan you're so cute," I giggled.  
"I'm not.." He muttered, standing there.

I let go of him as I heard my phone ringing. I looked at the screen and my face brightened.  
I left the room hastily and picked up the phone, leaving our whole team room into the lobby.  
"Hi, Shun-chan," I said while I was walking.  
"Hey, Akira. Sorry I haven't called lately."  
"It's alright. Call me only if you have time."

"Okay. So, what are you up to?" He asked.  
"I'm currently at an inn near the shore. Sei-chan brought us here for my birthday," I replied.  
"I see.. Wait. How many other females are there?" He asked hastily.  
"Eh? Well.. Actually, where is Satsuki-kun..?" I wondered out loud. "There should be two, but if she's not here, then it's just me."  
"Do you have your own room?"  
"No. I'm sharing it."  
"But you're the only girl there?"  
"I'm sleeping in the same room as Sei-chan and Tecchan," I said.  
"Two guys? Akira, I don't want you to be-"  
"Shun-chan. Don't worry. I trust them, and if you're worried about me allowing them, don't you trust me?"  
"I.. I trust you, I just want to make sure you're safe. Hey if you ever really get in a bad situation though, shout out to Akashi or that other guy, if you really  
trust them. Or call me if you want."  
"Shun-chan you're being unbearably cute right now."  
"Eh? Why cute?"  
"You just are.. Even more than usual," I said.  
"Akira.. I don't exactly enjoy being called cute as a man," he pouted. I heard the pout through the phone and giggled.  
"I miss you, Shun-chan," I said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear.  
"I miss you as well. I look forward to seeing you once again. Send pictures of yourself. I want to see you," he said.  
"Wha- no! I'm not sending a picture of myself to you. I'll send pictures of events and stuff of the like, but I refuse to take a picture of myself and send it  
around."  
"But.. I want to see you." He said a bit sadly. I felt a pang in my chest and blushed.  
"...only if you send one too, then.." I mumbled.  
"Really? wait I don't want to send one.. Fine, whatever. I just want at least one picture of you," he agreed. "But, now. By the way you're talking, you probably are embarrassed. Your embarrassed face is cute, so I want one of that."  
"Shun! I'm not sending one anymore," I said.  
"Wait. You have an iPhone right?" He asked.  
"Yeah?"  
"I do too. Eh, I think we can do some sort of FaceTime or something on these. We can see each other then," he said.  
"What? How?" I looked at the screen and mentally face palmed as I saw the choice for a FaceTime.

"Never mind. I found it," I said pathetically. I chose the FaceTime option and I watched as I saw a reflection of myself, but it soon went into the corner and I blushed as I saw Shun's face pop up on the screen.  
_"Was he always this adorable?"_ I cried to myself.  
"Hey, move to somewhere lighter. I can't see your face," he urged.  
"No, I'm fine here." I said as I was probably drooling at his face. I had a black expression on as I kept staring at him and he covered his camera suddenly,  
snapping me back to reality.  
"Eh? Shun-chan why?" I whined.  
"Move to a better lit area and I'll uncover it again," he bargained.  
I moved around until my face was visible on the screen and I sat down.  
"There. Uncover it," I demanded.  
"Okay, okay." He said, lifting his finger off the camera. I suddenly felt a little awkward. It was weird wanting to let loose me bottled up love for him while looking  
at a screen. I stared and took a screenshot of him. I smiled mischievously and he furrowed his brows.  
"Akira? What was that?" He asked.  
"I took a picture of you~" I said, smiling. He gaped and I saw his arm reach up to the phone.  
"There I have one of you now too," he smirked. I had a bit of a fan girl moment and I took a picture of his smirk. I blushed madly, but was smiling anyways.  
After lots of laughing and screenshots, ten minutes bled into thirty and I began to grow tired of laughing and smiling. I massaged my cheeks, rubbing the  
soreness out.  
"How I wish I could be the one to do that right now," he said. I looked at him and blinked, then blushed again. He took another picture and laughed.  
"Shun! Stop that!" I shouted and he continued laughing, so I kept taking pictures of him as well.  
"I have so many pictures now," he said, still smiling.  
"It was worth taking pictures of you, though. Oh, they're so cute," I cooed.  
"Yes you are," he said back.  
"No, I meant you. Aw, you're laughing in these few.." I continued.  
"Hey stop that," he chuckled.  
"Ah, I have to go now.. Shun-chan I'll call you soon. I have to go do some stuff and prepare for dinner," I apologized.  
"Wow, are you cooking for other guys? are you cheating on me?" He teased.  
"Of course, with out you here, I can go crazy and you'd never know," I said.  
"Hey, that was a joke right?" He asked. When I didn't reply, he asked "right?" again.  
"Yes, yes. I love you, Shun-chan. I can't wait to come back to you," I said. He smiled and said the same back before I hung up. I sighed and slumped against  
the chair I sat in. I rested a little more, calming myself down and left the room to our personal room.  
"Tecchan, where has Sei-chan gone?" I asked.  
"Akashi-kun? I'm not quite sure. The last time I saw him was at the same time as you, I believe," he replied.  
"Alright," I said. I began looking around for him, but came to a conclusion that I couldn't and just shrugged it off.

POV change - 3rd, to Akashi.

The red head clenched his fist as he continued walking away from the lobby.  
_"Who is this 'Shun?' I don't care who it is, no one is making her go through that again like last year," _he thought angrily. He slammed open the door to outside and sighed, pushing a hand through his vibrant red hair. He started running around the oceanside to try to calm himself down, returning later in an hour, still enraged.


	9. REVISION NOTICE

This whole story will be revised in order to match the semester dates in Japan. I will not update as soon as I can, but definitely after I'm done revising.

Black cat revision notes: (general)

-change everything to be 3rd years.

-change dates. Her trip will be after they graduate in late March. -Birthday will change to march 31.

chapter 1:

-change "it's already May" to "it's already February" when they are in the court for the first time.

-"it's to shield me eyes" after she runs back inside and eats.

Chapter 2:

-"left it home for the spring season" to "left it home because I didn't want a jacket."

-"Mu lowered my head" to "I lowered"

-Izuki encountering dog. Change, bc he has a dog.

Chapter 3: special notes- Izuki's moment when they ask about high schools. Note his observation skills. Note the "different kind of warm"

-right after falling ill, "breathed in warm air of May." To "cold air of Feb."

Chapter 4: note OC's choice and reason for choosing Izuki(a lie)

-add in missing letters of the conversation. Make note that it is filled in.

-"fumbled with food." Before that, write that he looks up and sees her.

-"clumsily act" to "clumsy act"

Chapter 5: note that this is now early/mid March.

-get rid of washing the dog.

-phone call: "visiting this summer?"

Chapter 6: IMPORTANT FIX. REREAD MULTIPLE TIMES. REWRITE ALL OF IT.

Chapter 7/8/(9)

-every detail about training wi be eliminated. Shorten time frame.

-this will now be before they enter Seirin in early April. Summer break will consist of something else.


	10. Chapter 9

Black cat ch 9

please read the revision notice over again if you want to see the list of fixed things rather than read it all over again

I sighed, sweating a little as the sun beamed down on us.  
"It's almost the end of March already," I said.  
"Yes. And it's almost your birthday, isn't it?"  
"I forgot about that." I sighed again. "I wonder what Sei-chan even had in mind for me."  
"Well, now he'd probably just go buy a gift for you," Tecchan said.  
"I guess. I tell him every year I don't need anything, but he just goes out and gets something anyways,"  
"What about that friend of your's? Would they be getting anything for you?" He asked.  
"This ring was his gift," I said, smiling.  
"'His?'"  
"Yeah."  
"I see.."

On Thursday, I woke up with a jump as I felt someone blindfold me.  
"H-hey, who's-?" I started, stuttering, scared.  
"Calm down. Just come with me," I heard someone say as he helped me up and guide me somewhere. The voice belonged to Sei-chan, so I followed.  
"Sei-chan, what are you doing?" I asked as I felt us enter the familiarly chilled dining area. I felt the soft cloth slip off my face, yet it was still dark. I was still  
confused and I turned around, able to see the slightest bit of light reflect off of the red head's hair.  
"Sei-chan, what's-"  
I was blinded suddenly by the lights being turned on and I watched as the generation of miracles shout "happy birthday."  
"Thank you," I smiled, still a bit shocked from the surprise.  
"Setsunocchi! I got you something!" I heard the blonde say. He came up to me and handed me a little bundle of flowers.  
"Thanks, Kise," I smiled.  
"Happy birthday shortie," Daiki said to me while hitting my back.  
"We bought cake.. Can we eat it yet?" The giant said, already eating a piece of candy in the morning.  
"Today, your lucky item is this," he said as he handed me a small statue of a frog. "I'm only giving this to you because it's your birthday, so make sure you give  
it back tonight!" He said as he looked away.  
"Haha, tsundere Shin-tan strikes again," I laughed. "Thank you Shin-tan. But why did we have to do this so early?" I asked.  
"Well, it would be too hot later, so we thought you'd rather have this in morning while it's still cool outside," Sei-chan explained.  
"And I thank you for that consideration. I hate the heat," I complained.  
"Also, you seem to be big in accessories, so we bought a bracelet for you with our names engraved in them with yours also," Sei-chan said as he pulled out a small box (**cough cough**) from his pocket. I looked inside and there was a bracelet indeed. It was an imitation of a chain made of small links and their names were on metals shaped as ovals. There were small bells jingling here and there and I smiled. I reached for the box and the to-be captain withdrew.  
"Let me," he insisted. I nodded and he took the chain out like a fragile child and brought my hand closer to him. He placed the cold metal on my wrist and clipped it together and smiled.  
"Happy birthday," he said again.  
"Ah, man if this wasn't just a birthday, anyone would misunderstand this and think Akashicchi was proposing to Setsunocchi," Kise said. (**COUGH COUGH**)  
The said red head whipped his head to the blonde and glared. I had a deadpanned face on and looked at him as well.

"I can't comprehend the levels of stupidity," I said.  
"Ehh?"  
"Kise-kun, to be honest, I can't either," Tecchan agreed.  
"What?" He whined.  
"Idiot," Daiki smacked Kise over the head. Shin-tan sighed while Atsushi eyed the cake.  
"Let's eat cake now," I said, observing Atsushi. His face lit up and he immediately grabbed the cake knife, slicing it swiftly. I smiled and stepped back, watching  
my closest friends argue amongst each other playfully and have fun.  
"Hey Kise, be careful!" I heard Shin-tan shout. I looked over and I saw Kise accidentally ramming the cake into the green-haired boy. My eyes widened in amusement as I watched the megane try to pick off large chunks of cake. He groaned and walked to his room to change.  
"Hey, Setsuno, your phone's ringing in your room," I heard after Shin-tan changed. I nodded and scurried off into my room and found my phone.

"Hello?" I said.  
"Akira, happy birthday!" my most beloved said through the phone. I giggled and thanked him.  
"Hey, I want to see you.. Turn on FaceTime again," he said.  
"Uh, later. They're waiting for me right now.. I'm happy you called though. I'll call you back later," I apologized.  
"Hmm.. Okay. Which inn are you in? Just curious," he asked.  
"Hm? I'm in (name) Inn," I said.  
"Okay. I'll talk to you later. I love you," he said before hanging up. My mouth opened but didn't make a sound as he had already actually hung up. I frowned and texted him quickly.

_8:15  
__Let me finish talking before you hang up next time. Jeez._

A minute later I had another phone call.  
"Akira, what was it? Sorry," he said.  
"I love you too," I said and he didn't say anything so I hung up.  
I sighed to myself, thinking "I want it to be the start of school already.."  
"Hey Akira, get over here! Tetsu's got a gift for you too!" I heard Daiki shout across 5 walls. I sighed and sat up, making my way towards the dining hall again.  
"Aomine-kun, you're very mean," the boy said. The taller male laughed as he gestured the other members to leave the room. I looked at them, confused, and shrugged it off. I noticed that Sei-chan was no where in sight but soon turned my attention to Tetsuya. I smiled, asking him to continue with his presentation of his gift.

"Um.. Well, I heard a song once and decided I wanted to learn it for you.. But, it's in English. I've written the translation of it, so tell me if you don't understand it.." He said a bit timidly. I was taken back at the huge load of effort he must've put in. Not only did he seem to memorize it, but he also translated the whole thing. He took a step back as I sat down on a chair and he coughed, clearing his throat.

"I will be skipping a verse because I cannot overlap by myself," he informed. I nodded in response.

"I see you standing here  
But you're so far away  
Starving for your attention  
You don't even know my name  
You're going through so much  
But I know that I could be the one to hold you

Every single day  
I find it hard to say  
I could be yours alone  
You will see someday  
That all along the way  
I was yours to hold  
I was yours to hold

I see you walking by  
Your hair always hiding your face  
I wonder why you've been hurtin  
I wish I had some way to say  
You're going through so muc  
Don't you know that I could be the one to hold you

Every single day  
I find it hard to say  
I could be yours alone  
You will see someday  
That all along the way  
I was yours to hold  
I was yours to hold

I'm stretching but you're just out of reach  
You should know  
I'm ready when you're ready for me  
And I'm waiting for the right time  
For the day I catch your eye  
To let you know  
That I'm yours to hold

Every single day  
I find it hard to say  
I could be yours alone  
You will see someday  
That all along the way  
I was yours to hold  
I was yours to hold  
I'm stretching but you're just out of reach  
I'm ready when you're ready for me"

He finished singing and I was pretty sure my face was red. I stood up and he was blushing as well. Anyone would've succumbed to that face he had on during that moment. I bit my lip and took his hand.

"Tecchan.. I want you to tell me why you sang that before I say anything," I said.  
"Setsuno-san, I.. For a while, I've been trying to prove myself to you as worthy to be your.." He trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.  
"Tecchan.. Do you love me?" I asked. He nodded shyly and I frowned.  
"Tecchan. I'm sorry, I already.. Have someone that I love very dearly," I apologized as I looked up at him. He had an upset look on his face and he looked at me,  
smiling a little bit.  
"It's okay. But, if you really need someone to talk to, you can talk to me. No matter what," he said.  
"Tecchan, if you had asked me last year, I would have said yes," I said.  
"..really?"  
"Yes. But that was last year indeed. I've grown rather fond of someone else after I moved away," I explained.  
"I see," he said.  
"Your voice is very nice, too. The next time you wish to serenade someone, I doubt they would say no," I smiled. He blushed and thanked me.  
"Tetsuya, thank you for feeling that way about me," I smiled again, genuinely moved that he loved me.  
"Thank you for feeling that way about me too, even if it was last year," he said. He looked down, a bit disappointed and I pinched his cheek.  
"Let's not create a distance between us with this, I don't want anything awkward if that's what you planned," I said.  
"I planned for you to say yes."  
"Sorry."  
"It's nothing for you to say sorry about," he said as he left quickly to get the rest of the people to come back in. I sighed a little, caught off guard.  
We all sat inside the room now, eating the cake.

"So, Akira, how did you like his gift?" Daiki asked me later.  
"I loved it, really.. But I didn't say yes," I said, assuming he knew the meaning of the song and why he sang it.  
"What, really? I really thought you guys were totally lost in each other," he exclaimed.  
"Maybe last year, but not right now," I laughed dryly a little.  
"Aw, he must be really upset now.. He really likes you," he said, sighing. "Whenever you entered the room and I was talking to him, he would you watch you out  
of the corner of his eye and barely listen to me. I often turned to see what he was looking at and when I saw you, I realized. Whenever you smiled, he smiled."  
I bit my lip, feeling overwhelming guilt now and I looked down.  
"Hey, don't get upset over it. It's not you to be the one who's upset anyways. And don't feel guilty about it. This stuff happens all the time," Daiki said, trying to comfort me.  
"Tecchan can easily find someone else to love. There's many people for him that would make a better pair with him than me. He'd be a very nice lover to have,"  
I admitted.  
"Then why?"  
"I already have someone I love. And he loves me back," I said.  
"I see.." Daiki replied.

"Kuroko, did you really-" The red head said as he entered his room shared with me and Tecchan.  
Tecchan looked up at Akashi, eyes a bit red and his face was a little flushed. The captain didn't need an answer anymore. Looking at his face was enough.  
"She said no.." He said quietly.  
"Sorry, Tetsuya. I should have told you," Sei-chan said.  
"Did you know about my own feelings?"  
"No, I did not."  
"Then you have nothing to fret about," Tecchan said. The redhead sighed in a slight defeat and left the room, not wanting to press further.

Meanwhile, I was walking a little glumly towards my room, almost running into the blonde.  
"Hey, Setsunochhi, you guys together now? I heard him singing and I think I got the gist of the song," he said proudly. I laughed dryly but said no.  
"Eh? Why? I really thought you guys would be cute together," he said.  
"I.. Just forget it. Please leave me alone. Don't talk to Tecchan either," I said, walking past him to the bathroom now, instead. I sighed, closing the door and  
moving towards the sink to wash my face off.  
"Why am I the one upset?" I asked myself. I groaned, pulling my phone out to look through the pictures I took before, finding rows and rows of my most beloved. I opened some up, smiling softly as I saw his face. I left the bathroom after washing my face and sighed, opening the door to my room. The tealhead was sitting on his futon, looked at me and gave a greeting smile.  
"Tecchan, we'll be leaving tomorrow morning. Do you want to go out with me to buy some souvenirs?" I asked.  
"...sure," he said and he got up, walking towards the door. I waited for him to leave the room, then left behind him.

"What about this one?" I smiled as we looked at spiders at a little pet store.  
"Um.. Setsuno-san.. I'm not a big fan of spiders," he said we he backed away, our souvenir bag swinging with him. We had finished purchasing random nonsense that would make us happy but be soon forgotten.  
"Ah, sorry.." I laughed a little as I got up.  
"Let's look at the furry animals, then." I said and he nodded before we made our way towards the birds and rabbits and the like.


	11. Chapter 10

We returned to the streets from the pet shop after buying some dog treats and toys for Kou and I sighed, feeling the sun warm me.  
"Ah, I forgot to get a haircut," I said quietly, holding my long hair.  
"There's a hair salon not to far from here, I think. We can go to get it cut right now, if you want," Tecchan said, pointing towards the other direction.  
A little kid had run into him just now and fell onto the floor.  
"I'm very sorry," the short basketball player said to the fallen child. The said child looked up and giggled, saying, "it's okay!" And he resumed to run after picking himself up off the floor.  
"Wow, wonder where his parents are. And he was considerably mature," I commented.  
"Yes. I was rather sure that he was going to start crying," he nodded.  
"I want to be able to raise a child like that," I smiled, thinking back to how cute the child was. Tecchan looked at me, with a blank face and I asked him why he was.  
"..it's nothing," he said quietly. "Okay.. I'm going to get my hair cut now. You can go back if you want," I said.  
"It's alright. I'll stay out with you," he said.  
"Well, if you want. But you know, if you get bored, or anything, just let me know and you can go back." "No. I will stay with you," he argued back. "Okay, fine," I said, smiling.  
"What kind of hair cut will you be getting?" He asked.  
"Well, I might just trim it off," I replied.  
"Why don't you try getting bangs again? Like you did last year," he suggested.  
"Hmm.. Okay. Sure, why not?" I said.

"Welcome to our salon, have you made an appointment or are you a walk in?" A lady asked. Her eyes flickered a bit up and she looked lower. I felt myself get cold as I realized she was shocked by my eyes.  
"I'm a walk in," I answered.  
"Alright. Just sit down for a bit until we call you over," she said, smiling unsurely. I nodded and sighed, sitting down. "That was rather rude," Tecchan said quietly.  
"It's fine," I said.

"Oi Tetsu who did you bring back?" Daiki said as we walked back into the inn.  
"What do you mean?" He asked.  
"Who's that one behind- OW!" I cut him off midway with a punch to the head.  
"Who else would it be?"  
"Tsk, you've changed quite a bit since last year," he said, rubbing his head.  
"Have I?" I asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Aomine is right," Tecchan said behind me.  
"Last year, you were really gentle and quiet. Rather cute, actually. You didn't talk much and you were really polite. You laughed with us, but never much," he pointed out.  
"I don't enjoy being called cute by you," I said in disgust.  
"And you weren't snappy," he added with a groan. I sighed a little with a small smile.  
"Well, I don't have a bad reason for expressing myself more," I smiled calmly as I thought of Shun.  
"And what exactly is your reason?" He said. I blushed but quickly thought of a different idea, so I grinned and hung an arm around him, also pulling Tecchan in. "I have people like you guys that help me crawl out of my hole. That's why," I said as I ruffled aomine's hair.  
"What's with this ruckus out here..? A group hug?! I want to join in!" A certain blonde said as he came jumping over. We all dispersed quickly by the time he reached us, not worrying about him falling face first into the floor.  
"Annoying," I commented.  
"Aggravating," Aomine said.  
"Ehh?" Kise whined.  
"Immature," Tecchan said after he whined.  
"No you too, Kurokocchi.." He frowned. "And why Setsunocchi now? She used to stand there and let me last year," he added.  
"I woke up. I realized I should never have accepted you," I replied.  
"That's meaan," he cried. I sighed and left the room, went to my room, and laid on the futon. I looked at my phone, frowned and unlocked it, finding Izuki's contact information quickly in my favorites. I held the phone to my ear, hearing the tone go.  
"Hello?"  
"Shun-chan?"  
"Hey, Akira. It's late.. You having fun on your birthday?" he asked.  
"I am. But.. Next year, maybe.. I want to spend it with you," I said.  
"I would like to, also," he said. I could almost hear him smiling.  
"so.. Did you get anything from them?" He continued.  
"I got a bracelet with their names on charms that are connected to it. And of course, I still have your gift on a chain around my neck," I said, playing the ring. "That sure is nice to hear," he said.  
"We're leaving tomorrow. I'm probably going to go back to my dad's home and we will leave back for school two days before. I still must prepare school materials and the like," I explained.  
"I hope I'll be able to see you then," he said.  
"Me too," I smiled.  
"I can hear you smile," he said.  
"Is that so?" I smiled wider.  
"It is.. Akira.. I miss you," he said quietly. I blushed, biting my lip and looking to see if anyone was nearby.  
"I love you too," I said back.  
"I'll see you soon," he said.  
"If we don't see each other before school starts, we definitely must find each other," I promised.  
"Yeah.. Bye..." He said hesitantly before I said my goodbyes as well. I hung up and sighed.

The next day, I stretched as I woke up, feeling the chilled morning air. I looked to see the other two still sleeping soundly in their beds and smiled. I yawned and quietly crept out to prepare a breakfast.  
"Akira?" I heard as I was finishing up the eggs.  
"Ah, good morning, Sei-chan," I said.  
"Good morning.. Do you need any help?" He asked.  
"It's alright. I learned from the best, after all," I laughed.  
"That's right you did," he smirked a little. When we were little, he whipped etiquette into me, manners of a proper lady to be a wife of a proper husband. He was only 6, too.. Not to mention I was older. Such things included composure, cooking, cleaning, appearance, grace, and all the like.  
"Actually, you can help prepare, if you want," I said.  
"Alright," he nodded and went around to get plates and forks.  
"Is everyone awake?" I asked. "Yes," he replied as he placed the last plate down.  
"Can you ask what they want to drink? Milk, tea, or coffee?" He left instantly and came back a minute later.  
"They all want tea except for Kuroko," he said after coming back.  
"Milk?" I asked, smiling.  
"Yes." We finished eating breakfast, and left quickly with all of our stuff.  
"It was really fun.. Thank you for taking us here," I thanked as Sei-chan sat next to me.  
"My father owns this inn, anyways," he said.  
"Of course he does," I sighed. He narrowed his eyes at me and fully turned to look at me.

"You've changed quite a bit since last year. Is it safe to assume that the reason is because of 'Shun?'" He asked as we were leaving on the bus.  
"Yeah.. Wait did I ever tell you his name?" I asked back.  
"I overheard your conversation once with him," he replied.  
"Wait, so I never even told you that he's.."  
"Your boyfriend? No," he finished.  
"Sei-chan.. Does Shun have something to do with what you and my parents won't tell me?" I asked cautiously.  
"..why?" he asked.  
"Does it?"  
"As I said, they did not tell me why I shouldn't tell you. And they will be the ones to tell you what it is." He repeated from last time. I furrowed my brows in a frustrated manner and looked away, paying him no attention for the rest of the bus ride.

I woke up in my bed back in (old location). "Urgh.. It's still an hour before I have to wake up.." I groaned. Despite the groan, I smiled, thinking that today, I really might spend another year with Shun.  
"I hope he's in my class," I whispered to myself, smiling more. I got up and went through my bag again to check if I had everything and went to see if my uniform was there. Once everything has been checked again, I burned off 20 minutes, so I waited in bed for another 40.

"Mom, I'm leaving now!" I shouted to my mom and she said goodbye before I left the house. "Alright. Be safe!" She shouted back. I left quickly and walked eagerly to my new school. At the bustling school, I shoved past some people that paid me no attention as they stared up at the roster sheets for classes. I stood on my tip toes, glasses on now, and still had to squint.

"1-C... Let's see... shun is in... 1-C too! Mm what about Hyuga-san..?" I talked to myself quietly and shuffled off to my classroom. I sat down, a little breathless at the thought of it being my first day as a high schooler. I settled down by the window and stared at the door a little every now and then to see if Shun came in yet. I sighed, not spitting him yet. I leaned over, and laid my head on my desk, dozing off a little and I turned towards the window for a while until I heard a call of my name.  
"Akira?" I didn't turn around yet, rather, I contemplated on how I should react. I stayed like that for a good 5 seconds before I turned to my love and I smiled widely.  
"Hi, Shun-chan," I said, still smiling.  
"You.. Wow.. Got a haircut," he breathed out, touching my freshly cut bangs. I nodded a little and blushed, touching his hand that was brushing my bangs.  
"Do you like it..?" I asked quietly.  
"Very, very..much.. God, you look so cute, I don't know what to do with myself," he said, hugging me tightly. I mentally thanked Tecchan for suggesting I get bangs again.  
"You look cute too," I smiled.  
"eh? I haven't changed though."  
"You got a bit of a haircut, right? I can see your face more.. I like it," I laughed a little.  
"Oh, well, I didn't really think you'd notice," he laughed too, and I brought his face to mine, kissing his nose.  
"Akira..?" He stuttered.  
"I love you," I said quietly to him, resting my forehead on his.  
"This position.." He said.  
"Makes me feel happy.. I don't know why."  
"We stood like this when we first started dating," I reminded, smiling at the memory.  
"Ah, that's right," he remembered. He smiled cutely and nuzzled against me more, hugging me. I clung tightly onto the front of his shirt, looking up at him as well.  
"I see you two are together now. Why didn't you tell me, Izuki?" He turned around quickly to see the voice and sighed.  
"Hey Hyuga."  
"Hi, Hyuga-san," I greeted.  
"Hey. So why didn't you guys tell me something like this?" He repeated.  
"Well.. Why did you dye your hair?" Shun asked.  
"I asked you first!" He argued.  
"So? Why are you blonde now" he snickered.  
"I would also like to know why," I admitted.  
"There's no particular reason," he scoffed. He walked from us and sat down near where we stood. I looked at Shun and he shrugged.  
"Akira, let's go eat together," Shun said to me as our class ended.  
"Okay," I smiled, turning my chair around to face him, as he was sitting behind me, then Hyuga, then another person.  
"Do you want to invite Hyu-"  
"No. I want to eat with just you," he said, smiling sweetly at me. Despite the sweet smile, I knew he was teasing me and I blushed. I ignored his comment and continued on with eating my sandwich, looking out the window. I stopped chewing as I watched a bird nestle down into a nearby tree and greet another as the larger one settled down next to the other.  
"Akira."  
"Yeah?" I was still looking outside, not looking at him.  
"Akira," he said again, a bit more impatient.  
"What is it?" I frowned, turning towards him now.  
"Can you come with me for a bit?" Shun asked.  
"Is there something wrong?" I asked back worriedly, standing.  
"No.. Just.. Come," he said, standing and making his way outside. He held my hand tightly and walked quickly.

"Shun? Where are we going?" I asked as he was practically dragging me now. We found an isolated area with few people moving in and out and he pulled me towards his body. Blushing, I became very confused as to why he was doing this.  
"Shun?! What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked again, looking up at his face.  
"I wanted to be alone with you for a bit.." He whispered huskily into my ear. I shivered at his act and my knees wobbled.  
"Wh-why?" I asked. He didn't answer, but only swooped down easily, catching my my lips in a frantic kiss. I moaned unconsciously as he began to kiss me feverishly. I panted every time he broke away and let out a strange sound as he came back. He licked my lip as he was already kissing me and my eyes widened, gasping a little.  
"Mmmnf.." I groaned out, my mind going blank as his tongue began assaulting my mouth. He pulled away, finally, letting me breathe, some of our mixed saliva dripping down my chin and he stopped. He wiped off any off me and gave an apologetic look. He hugged me now, gently and sweetly as he stroked my hair with a hand.  
"Sorry.." He said quietly.  
"It's.. It's fine," I said, still a little breathless.  
"I just.. I.." He stammered, struggling with the right words.  
"I told you that it's fine," I said again.  
"Okay.. Sorry. I missed you a lot," he said almost too quietly that I couldn't hear. He was blushing quite a bit and I smiled, kissing his cheek lightly.  
"I missed you too," I laughed a little. He had a relieved smile on his face and returned for another kiss, this time purely. I blushed more at this gesture rather than a minute ago.  
"Shun-chan?" He looked at me, waiting for me to talk.  
"Can we maybe go out this week?" I asked.  
"Of course," he smiled.

The next week, I walked into the classroom and watched as a tall boy was pestering Hyuga about something. Shun stood there too, saying something.  
"come on, Hyuga. It'll be good. And fun?" He boy said.  
"Shut up, I'm not doing this again." Hyuga groaned.  
"Come on, we only need one more person," Shun said.  
"Ask someone else," Hyuga said back.  
"Let's go find a coach," the tall male said.  
"Alright," Shun said.  
"Shun? What was that?" I asked as I grabbed his arm as they left the room.  
"We're trying to convince Hyuga to join a basketball club. But he doesn't want to.. Probably because he doesn't want to lose anymore," he sighed.  
"I see.. Who are you going to find? As your coach?"  
"Hmm... Have you seen that girl around with short brown hair? Probably your height? Her name is Riko Aida," he said.  
"'Her?'"  
"Yeah. Don't underestimate her. Her dad's a gym coach," he reasoned.  
"I see," I said before he waved goodbye and quickly shuffled away to the tall male. I bit my lip and ran after him, following close behind.

"Huh? You want me to be your coach?" She exclaimed.  
"Yeah. Please? You're the only one who can do this for us," the still unknown male to me said.  
"No," Riko said after a while. She seemed to consider it, but changed her mind.  
"Why not?" They asked.  
"I don't want to coach a half assed team that'll give up halfway if they run into trouble," she said with a bored face.  
"Eh?" "I mean, at one point, you guys would have to face the Generation of Miracles. I don't want to coach people who'll give up when they fight them," she explained.  
"But.."  
"No," she said finally and they left. On their way out, Shun saw me and gave a confused look as I moved into the room.

"Hello," I said as I stood in front of Riko.  
"..hi?"  
"Those boys who just asked you to be their coach.." I began.  
"No. I'm not coaching them," she said again.  
"I won't force you to, but, won't you please consider? I know these people on a personal level. If they do give up, I will punish them." I said while reciprocating her facial expression.  
"Hnn.. Look, I really don't know much about basketball-"  
"That's fine. I know everything you'll need to know," I said.  
"Fine. I might consider it. Don't get your hopes up, though," she sighed.  
"Thank you very much," I smiled.  
"Hey, what's your name?" She asked.  
"Setsuno Akira. You are free to call me whichever you want. If you want to come talk to us, we're in 1-C," I said, thanking her again before leaving.

During the ceremony at the beginning of the year, the five of us, Kiyoshi (as I now knew him), Koganei and Mitobe (those boys who talked to Hyuga, Shun, and Kiyoshi a while ago), Shun himself, and I stood at the roof of the school. They declared their purpose of being up here and shouted their resolutions.  
"I wonder if he'll come," Kiyoshi pondered.  
"Don't worry.. He will," Shun said, grinning. And just as planned, Hyuga came rushing through the door to his new teammates, his hair back to normal as his resolution was set straight. But, soon enough, we were caught by an authority and were scolded. The next day, Seirin's basketball club was officially established, with their coach as Riko Aida.

"First day of practice starts today, huh?" I asked Shun as we finished our afternoon classes of the day.  
"Yeah. I still don't know why you're being manager though," he said.  
"Not that I mind of course. Just means that I can see you more," he added quickly before smiling sweetly.  
"Just.. Don't tell Riko-san... And we absolutely can not be all flirty. I don't want her to think that I joined just for you," I demanded.  
"Sure," he said, letting go of my hand a bit hesitantly.  
"But you'll have to make it up with more dates," he bargained.  
"That also means we can't flirt in the middle of school.. And school isn't the place for it anyways.. More dates, it is," I smiled.  
"Yay," he laughed, giving a kiss on my cheek.  
"What'd I just say?"  
"Oh sorry.. One more, I swear," he said before kissing me again on my lips once more. I turned into the kiss, enjoying his warmth and pulled away soon.  
"So, what did you join for?" He asked later.  
"She said she wasn't very familiar with basketball, so I'm helping her. And it won't hurt to help you guys out either," I said.  
"And for you too," I added.  
"Really? I would have thought she knew basketball too," he said.  
"I'm sure she knows how to train for it, but she probably means the more detailed things." "  
I see.."

"Okay, so now that you all are here.. Strip," she demanded. I gaped at her, a bit irritated that my boyfriend was in the crowd that she just told to strip, but kept my calm as I told myself it was just to see their strengths.  
"Why are we stripping..?" Hyuga asked.  
"I need to see your bodies. Just take your shirts off," she continued.  
"I'm not-" "Hyuga please just take the shirt off. It's not a big deal," I said.  
"Why are you even here?!"  
"I want to help.. And she wants me to help her with information," I replied.  
"Yeah, don't talk to your manager like that," Riko said. I smiled a bit emptily at Hyuga.  
"Fine," he groaned before pulling his shirt off. I eyed the others, as they were also stripping. I stopped to look at Shun. _"Oh man, how do I even stop myself..."_ I mentally drooled at the sight of him. I thanked Sei-chan for whipping etiquette and composure into me when I was younger. The memories made me flinch a little. He saw me and blushed red, shying away from me a little. I cocked my head in confusion, about to attack him.

Everyday, we practiced. We practiced until everyone was collapsing from exhaustion after practice. We trained like there was no tomorrow.. But it was no use. Our team was still not mature yet. We had no way to win. Those whole year of suffering and defeat, we almost lost hope, our last light of hope.

But, our light of hope came the next year, along with his shadow.


	12. Chapter 11

Black Cat ch 11

"Seirin's basketball club! Join and you'll be cute too!" Shun advertised, enjoying himself as he continued with his puns.  
"Oi, Izuki! Stop with those," Koganei hushed before going back to shouting.  
"The team needs your help!" He continued before handing someone a paper. I smiled as I looked at him, laughing and smiling. It was a shame that we had to stand near our stand.. I thought and giggled as I thought about Shun's reaction if he heard me think that.  
"'Ki ta ko re,' probably," I said to myself.

I stood next to him in the crowd and spotted a fairly tall male with the ferocity of a wild animal and shuddered. I pulled Shun's sleeve and dragged him with me as the tall male dragged Koganei somewhere.  
"Rest in peace.." I said as we watched the first year drag away the second year.  
"Eh? Ah sorry," he said suddenly, turning around but stared, confused.  
"What is it?"  
"Nothing.." He scratched his head. I shrugged and continued with advertising our team.

"Is everyone here?" Riko thought, hoping to see the sixth phantom man of the Generation of Miracles. Just like last year, she had told everyone to take their shirts off. She stopped at the tall male from before that dragged Koganei away. I gulped at the sight of him too, looking at the refined muscles.  
"Riko! What are you doing? Come on," Hyuga said.  
"A-ah.. Right," she said before looking at him again.  
"Alright, you guys can put your shirts back on. And line up! We'll be having practice soon. Man, I was really excited to see Kuroko.." She said to herself.  
"Excuse me, but I'm right here," a voice called out. I turned to the voice, and my face brightened as I laid my eyes on the short and gentle tealhead.  
"Tecchan!" I called out, leaping onto him and giving him a hug.  
"Hello, Setsuno-san," he greeted, returning my hug a little shortly before I pulled away.  
"I didn't know you were coming here," I said.  
"I.. Wanted to come here after watching your team play during one of the competitions last year. I also wanted to come after I found out you were the manager," he smiled a little.

"Where'd you come from?!" Riko screamed in surprise.  
"Ah, sorry," he said formally.  
"It's fine, but since I didn't see you, take your shirt off," she said.  
"But I just put it back on," he complained.  
"Well, take it off again!"

"Riko, don't be disappointed. He doesn't specialize in that kind of stuff," I reasoned as we walked from the school after club.  
"I was expecting him to have a good build," she said.  
"Give him a chance," I asked.  
"Fine. So what does he specialize in?"  
"That's a secret for you to find out," I smiled before parting with her.

(From this point on, almost everything will be based off the MANGA. not the anime, because it is much easier to go by the manga since it's handy in my downloaded things)

Our next practice, was freshman against the second years. I watched excitedly as Kagami dunked points repeatedly and the second years decided to show the freshmen where they stand in this club. The guarded Kagami to the max, forcing the others to bring out their best.  
"Quite some atmosphere in the court," Riko said as Tecchan and Kagami began arguing.  
"Wait a minute, when did Kuroko get there?!" She exclaimed.  
"Hm? He's been there, I believe," I said, losing track of him for a bit.  
"Ah, I believe you'll be able to see his skill now," I grinned as the said boy walked up to another and asked for something, though I could not hear.  
Seconds later, the Freshmen scored.  
"Wha-what was that pass?! I didn't even see it!" Someone shouted, confused. As the confusion took over, Tecchan was able to make two more passes before Riko figured it out.  
"Misdirection," was all I said before looking at her.  
"Don't tell me he uses his lack of presence to pass the ball," she said, thinking.  
"He does indeed," I smiled, saying nothing more.

"The freshmen won!"  
"Izuki, couldn't you have done better," I laughed as everyone began filing into the locker rooms.  
"Don't blame me, I couldn't even see the guy," he sighed. I smiled, wanting to hug him but stopped myself from doing so.  
"You played well, Tecchan," I complimented as he stopped from walking into the locker room.  
"Thank you," he said.  
"Tecchan, do you want to catch up with each other some time? I want to hear how everyone else has been doing," I asked.  
"Oh.. Sure, but I'm not sure if you'd be happy with how everyone has become," he said quietly.  
"Why is that?"  
"I'll tell you another time. When would you like this catching up to happen?"  
"I don't know. Any time, really," I said.  
"We can right after practice today, if you want."  
"Sure, then."  
"Setsuno-san," he called out before I left.  
"Yes?"  
"I'm so very glad that you haven't changed like them from last year," he said with a relieved smile. Seeing that and hearing it, it made me uneasy. Afraid to  
know what happened to them.  
"I'm not quite sure what that means," I confessed.  
"I will tell you later," he said. He walked into the locker room and I frowned, a bit worried about that statement again.

"So, what's been going on?" I asked as we left the school's grounds.  
"everyone has abandoned the idea of team play. No longer did we practice together. Our.. Advisor.. You remember him right? He said as long as we win, we don't  
need to practice. So winning, it became everything."  
"Oh..."  
"Akashi-kun had changed a lot too," he said.  
"He didn't call me once last year. His birthday is usually celebrated rather grandly and he invites me. Hey didn't visit for Golden week either.." I panicked, very  
afraid to lose him.  
"He has become cold. The team played a game once, and they toyed with the opponent. They completely just made a game of it," he continued. I looked at  
him, not wanting him to continue anymore, as he seemed he was about to cry.  
"Tecchan, let's continue this another day.. This seems like a weak spot for you," I said quietly, holding his arm.  
"If you want to know, I can continue," he said.  
"Not today.. This is quite overwhelming for me as well," I choked out.  
"Alright." He looked glum, completely consumed with sadness.  
"Wait, what about Daiki? He was your-"  
"He was the first to change," he cut in.  
"Really?"  
"Yes. He grew too strong for his opponents and no longer wanted to practice. It started a chain reaction.. But it still was not his fault," Tecchan said.  
"what about um.. Kise? And Shintaro?"  
"They didn't change that much, but they still have changed," he informed.  
"That's.." I started, sniffling.  
"I know," he said sadly. He looked down at me and gave me a reassuring smile. I started crying silently, tears spilling out.  
My best friends were gone, just empty shells of what used to be lively and happy friends who stuck together.

"Hey, Akira," I heard on the other side.  
"Hello," I said back into the phone.  
"Do you want to go out later?" Shun asked.  
"Um.. I'm sorry.. Not today. Maybe next week," I apologized.  
"Alright.. Hey you seem like you've been down lately.. If you want someone to talk to, know that I'm there for you," he said.  
"I know," I smiled.  
"Goodnight. I love you," he repeated after me.

"Hey, where's coach?" Someone asked. I looked to him, then Hyuga who noticeably jumped.  
"She's skipping.." Someone else answered.  
"Oh boy.. If she's skipping, be prepared.. She's got a strong opponent for us," Hyuga warned. I looked at him again and he had a crazed look on his face.  
Moments later, Riko came in, happy and smiling, announcing that she had a practice match with Kaijou high school planned - the school Kise went to.  
We continued on with practice, preparing for our match for tomorrow. Kagami was still as fast as ever, and I watched him as he circled quickly around someone and dunked.  
"Wh-why are there so many people here?!" Riko shouted as girls began swarming into the court.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Even though I didn't come here for this..." I heard a familiar voice say.  
"Urgh.." I groaned.  
"Eh? Setsunocchi? Ah, it really is you!" He said, after finishing up a little and came over to me. I gave a disgusted look and dodged him as he tried to give a hug.  
"Please don't," I requested as he tried to hug me again.  
"Why?"  
"What did I tell you the last time I saw you," I glared. "And you all probably made Tecchan upset.." I thought angrily to myself, my anger reflecting off my eyes.  
"You said.. That.. You grew up? I don't remember.. Oh you said that you already had someone you were dating and didn't want to do anything like that with anyone else but him," he said. I gaped, not knowing if everyone else heard, and I slowly looked at Riko.  
"You.. Have a boyfriend..?" She asked.  
"Hey, Kise-kun, I told you not to tell her that I told you," Tecchan said.  
"I don't care if you tell him, I just would rather not him go announcing to the entire world."  
"Wait, Setsuno, I want to talk with you a little," Riko said. I nodded and followed her to an isolated spot in the gym.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you had a boyfriend?"  
"Had," I lied.  
"So it's not a thing anymore?" She asked.  
"No," I continued lying.  
"I see," she said, a bit of a lopsided smile. I gave a look at her. Of course, she knew that Shun likes me. And of course I love him back, and we're dating, but she doesn't know that. The last year, she's been trying to put two pieces together that has already been together. She's been getting us to be alone often and I had fun with this act. It was easy for me to act oblivious to this little set up, thanks to Sei-chan's hard work.

"Sei-chan.." I thought. I felt a little empty, recalling back to my conversation with the phantom.  
"So who was it? Your ex?" She asked.  
"This is rather comical.." I thought. "You don't know him," I said.  
"How long did you guys go out for?"  
"I don't know.. One year?"  
"what happened?"  
"I... Well.. We grew apart.. And I also began to take interest in someone else.." I mumbled, faking the embarrassment.  
"Who is that?" She asked excitedly.  
"Someone you know this time," I said, looking at her with a red face.  
"Is it someone in this team?" She asked.  
"Maybe.. But that's all I'm telling you," I teased seriously, smiling at her and leaving again.

"What boyfriend," Shun asked me after I walked from Riko.  
"You, you idiot. This was a lie," I said, looking at the coach.  
"Oh, okay. Thank god," he sighed. I smiled a little at him and walked back over to the blonde. As I walked over, a ball came rushing at Kise and I back off a little, jumping. Thankfully, the ball was caught and he whined, of course. I watched as they challenged each other to a mini match, just between them. And Kise, being the copycat, perfected Kagami's circling move from before and I felt myself freeze.

"No way.." I thought. I looked over at Tecchan and he looked even more surprised.  
"Tecchan," I called out. He didn't budge, not looking at me.  
"Hey, Kuroko, isn't your friend a little too incredible?!" One of the freshmen asked.  
"No.. I don't know that person," he said quietly. I feared the answer of why he would say such a thing.  
"Eh?"  
"He.. In only a few months.. Has gotten so much stronger," he explained with a shocked face.  
"I can't go back with just a greeting after all.." Kise sighed.

"?!"  
"Give back Kurokocchi. Come to our school. Let's play basketball together again," Kise commanded.  
"What?!"  
"Seriously! You're really talented, and I really do admire you," Kise kept going. "So how about it?"  
"I'm sorry, I refuse your proposal," Tecchan bowed.  
"Aahh, that sounds mean in a way.." Kise cried.  
"I made a promise. With Kagami-kun to defeat the generation of miracles.  
"Hey, hey.. It's not like you to make this kind of joke," Kise warned. Kagami laughed and got up, standing next to Tecchan.  
"I still am not good with jokes. I'm being serious," he said, standing determinedly next to his new light.

"Hey, Kagami, you look gross," I laughed a little, looking up at the red head.  
"Shut up! I couldn't sleep last night," he growled.  
"Why is that?" Tecchan asked.  
"I got so pumped up to fight against a member of the Generation of Miracles that I couldn't!"  
"Are you a grade schooler before a school trip..?" Tecchan commented.  
"Hey! We'll be counting on you guys today," a voice called out.  
"What's the meaning of this..?" Riko asked politely, almost popping a vein.  
"Hm? Oh, you guys are here. Well, we'll be having normal practice on the other side of the net, so we'll be using only one side," their coach explained lazily. I  
smiled, radiating a deathly aura and tried to calm Riko down.  
Man those lessons from Sei-chan were really coming to be useful now.  
"They're making fun of us.. Making us use an old and creaky ass hoop.." I thought. I watched as the coach pulled Kise out of the starting team, telling him to sit  
down.  
"This'll just be a warm up," the other coach explained.  
"I'm sorry. I don't think you can have a warm up.. Because there's no way you can afford holding back," Riko taunted. I looked at her in awe and smiled genuinely this time, looking at Kaijo's team and looked over the players.

"Um.. Seirin, can you bring out your fifth player already?" A Kaijo student asked.  
"All five players are here already, though," Tecchan said, as everyone turned to him suddenly.  
"How long has he been there?!"  
I sighed at the same reaction every time.  
"Alright! Let's start by making one po-!" Kasamatsu, the captain of the other team was cut off abruptly as the ball was slapped out of his hand.  
"Wha?!"  
Tecchan stole the ball, and ran off with it. He quickly passed to Kagami as Kasamtsu began catching up and the tall redhead dunked it forcefully. There was a loud creaking and snapping sound, causing everyone to look over.  
"What..? No way!" A Kaijo member shouted in disbelief.  
"What.. Oops..?" Kagami said as he recovered from landing and saw what he was holding in his hand.  
"well what now..?" He asked.  
"First. We apologize.. And next, we continue.. With the other side of the court as well," tecchan said as he looked the the coach of Kaijo high. He grit his teeth in  
anger, and called over Kise as the net was removed from the other side of the court. I smiled at our new team mates  
"He's finally here," Hyuga said as Kise came out, ready to play.  
"Hey.. This is..?!" Riko panicked. I narrowed my eyes at her and followed her line of sight.  
"Kise.. Has grown quite a bit," I said quietly, my heart sinking as I recalled what Tecchan said. I bit my lip, thinking to Sei-chan once more.

_"If you ever snap again.. You will be coming back to repeat what we've done before,"_ he had warned.  
"No.. I won't leave.. I finally understand what he means," I thought. I shook my head, trying to forget about it, collecting my thoughts and maintaining my  
composure.  
In the end, Seirin won, after a long and hard battle. We had won by just one scoring point, a buzzer beater at that.

"Man, I'm HUNGRY," Hyuga complained as we walked to the bus station.  
"I don't have any money on me though.." Koganei said. As he said it, a large truck with a cow on it rushed by and Riko had set her eyes upon a restaurant,  
grinning.  
"Erm.."  
"So, tell me.. How did we get ourselves into this mess?" I asked as I watched plates of huge steaks be brought out for our team. I looked at Riko who was  
smiling happily.  
"Eat up, eat up!" She encouraged. I looked at Shun, now and he gulped. I giggled at him and he looked up, smiling a little at the sight of my laugh. I stopped,  
but smiled at him and he kept a blank face on as he continued staring at me. I looked back at him, drowning myself in his looks. I came to realize soon that we were staring at each other, and I blushed a little, coughing and tucking my hair behind my ear a little as a result, still looking at him a little. He was a little red too, and tried working on his steak.

"I apologize.. But I'm done," Tecchan said, wiping his mouth as we looked at him. There wa a barely anything gone and the rest of the team knew they were done.  
"Ah! This steak.. Is steakalicious..!" Shun said.  
"That's really annoying right now!" Koganei said.  
"I'm so full," Shun groaned as he cut another piece out. He looked at me with a miserable face that I couldn't help but to laugh a little at.  
"Want some?" He offered.  
"Hmm.. Sure, I guess," I said as I took his fork and ate the steak.  
"It's pretty good," I commented as I handed back his fork.  
"Do you want more?"  
"No.. It's for you," I smiled teasingly.  
"Urgh.." He grunted, sawing out another piece of meat and eating it.  
"You guys just shared a fork.." Riko pointed out.  
"S-so?" I stuttered, forgetting.  
"Doesn't that mean-"  
"You guys are already done?"  
I looked over at Kagami who just spoke, his plate completely clean.  
"If you don't want it, I'll have it," he said.  
"He's eating it like a squirrel.." We thought as he crammed his mouth with steak.  
"Thanks for coming! ..and don't come back!" The store owner shouted as we left. They stretched and sighed, yawning.

"Where's Kuroko-kun?" Riko asked.  
"Hm? He's probably somewhere around us," Hyuga said.  
"No.. He's really not here this time," Kagami said. I looked around, confirming his answer. We all walked around a little, and I saw a basketball court, walking towards it.  
"Ah.." I thought as I found a familiar blonde and a tealhead next to him.  
I stayed there for a few moments before Kagani joined me.  
"What is it?" He asked.  
"Over there.." I pointed at Tecchan and Kise.  
We went around the court and just before turning the corner, we halted right in our steps.  
"Even that guy.. Will change with his basketball.. Do you really think he will stay the way he is forever?"  
We stopped to listen to Kise. After he had said that, Kagami quickly left and walked over to Tecchan. I followed him as I watched him slap Tecchan over the head.  
"Where were you running off to Kagami asked.  
"You were listening?" Kise asked.  
"Because of you kidnapping him, we couldn't go back!" Kagami shouted. I saw Tecchan turn him attention elsewhere and followed his line of sight. There were  
new people on the court now, looming over the players from before.  
"You've had your share. Let us play now," the newcomers said.  
"But we've just gotten here!" The other defended.

"This is unfair no matter how you look at it," Tecchan said as we arrived at the court.  
"Eh? Woah! When'd these little brats get here?" He exclaimed.  
"Alright, let's settle it with basketball, then," one of the players said.  
"Wait.. Do you mind if we join?" Kise asked, arriving now with us.  
"What the hell were you two doing?!" Kagami forcefully ruffled his shadow's hair.  
"It'll be fine with 5 on 3," Kise said.  
"Make it 5 on 4, I want to join," I said.  
"Huh? A girl? If you want, missy. Don't expect us to go easy on you though," the player said.  
"If we Setsunocchi play, we don't really even need to," Kise said.  
"What's wrong with all four of us playing?"  
"Nothing.. Just you probably would be fine on your own," the blonde said.  
"Are you looking down on us, bastard?!"  
"Eh? No.. Let's just begin," Kise said and we took off our jackets, placing them somewhere


	13. Chapter 12

Black Cat ch 12

Its a short chapter, but I thought I should leave it at that.. Review your thoughts,please :)

We won, of course with an overwhelming victory.  
"There you are!" Riko shouted as she saw us and ran over to Tecchan, locking him into a hold. I giggled at the sight and  
walked off to find Shun.  
"Hey," I said.  
"Hi," Shun smiled. I looked at his hand and smiled a little, looking at the ring he bought a year and a half ago for my birthday last year. He bought a pair of earrings for me this year, ones that I was wearing. I touched the ring that still hung around my neck. I saw Riko look over at us swiftly, but turned away again, a small grin on her face.  
"Izuki-kun, let's talk a bit more on the bus.. Sit next to me?" I smiled, and said it loud enough for Riko to perk up.  
"Eh? Sure," he said. I smiled more and walked over to the waiting bus, everyone else already waiting to go in. We filed in and I sat in an empty seat, soon to be filled by me, then Shun. I looked at him as he sighed and sat down, looking over at me and smiled.  
"When can we tell them?" He asked quietly.  
"I guess, it wouldn't really matter now.. I don't care anymore," I smiled softly.  
"Mine," he smiled and kissed me quickly. I smiled into the kiss, gripping his hand in my own as i returned it. He broke apart moments later and I hugged his tightly, his arm around my waist. I was leaning into him, my cheek smushing against his chest. I saw a pair of feet stop in front of me and I looked up, seeing Mitobe. He stared, but did nothing. He gave a confused look in a panicking manner, but continued on with a bit of a red face. I laughed a little at his behavior.  
"Mitobe-kun is kinda cute in his own way haha," I said.  
"You can't call someone else cute," Shun said, pouting.  
"Why?" I smiled.  
"Because.."  
I giggled at him and gave another kiss on his cheek. He looked around a bit to see if anyone saw, but no one really seemed to except for Mitobe.  
"I'm surprised no one saw," he said.  
"Yeah.. I hear Koganei pestering Mitobe about why Mitobe's all red," I laughed lightly.  
"Mitobe saw?"  
"Yeah.."  
"Hmm. Fine," he said. I smiled and leaned on his shoulder, closing my eyes as I felt him rest his head on top of mine too. Sighing in satisfaction, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Setsuno, wake up."  
I blinked groggily, opening my eyes to see the one and only beautiful Shun.  
"Hi," I smiled.  
"Hi," he smiled back, a cute smile he had on. I stroked his cheek and blinked, remembering we were still in a public area and blushed.  
"Get a room, you two," I heard someone say. I looked up to see Hyuga waiting for us to leave the bus.  
"Sorry, captain," I sighed, lifting myself off of him. I followed Shun off the bus, still a little wobbly from sleep. Yawning, I took a step towards the stairs of the bus and saw Shun holding a hand out to me. I smiled, taking his hand and let him help me off the bus. Giving a thanks in a form of a smile, he smiled back.

In the distance, we heard a scream, a high pitched one. We all turned towards the sound of it, and saw a man rushing down the sidewalk. He was holding a woman's purse as we confirmed it by the woman screaming that the man took it. He neared us quickly and I watched as he nearly mowed down Tecchan, not paying attention.  
"Move!" The man shouted as he shoved the small basketball player to the side. He stumbled and landed heavily on his backside, grunting in pain.  
"Tecchan!" I ran over, making sure he was okay.  
"I'm fine, it's alright," he sighed. I narrowed my eyes at the man and began sprinting after him.  
"Setsuno-san!" I heard him call after me. I breathed out, my blood pumping quickly. I only heard the wind rushing past me and my heart beating as I began nearing the man. I ran faster, so close to him and he swore after turning back to see I was running after him. He now was in my arm's reach and I tried grabbing him, but failed. I growled as i jumped onto him, and we landed heavily.

The next thing I remembered was looking up into white ceiling and white room. I narrowed my eyes as I groaned and pushed myself up with my hand, but only fell back down, overwhelmed with pain.  
"Akira!" I heard someone say. I turned to see Shun getting off his chair frantically and holding my hand.  
"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine.. What happened?"

"'What happened'?! You don't remember? Man, I didn't think you'd have it in you. You wrestled the man down and he broke free, but you had a fist to fist fight and you knocked him out cold in just a few hits," he babbled on. I felt cold as my hands began shaking.  
"No.. Um.. This.. Isn't on the news, is it?"  
"It is.. Why? What's wrong?"  
I cried, tears spilling out nonstop.  
"Akira?!"  
"Shun, I.."  
"Akira," a new voice called. I choked on my last word and I looked at the newcomer.  
"Hi.. Sei-chan.." I slowly let go of Shun's hands.  
"Don't you remember what I said?"  
"I.. Do.." I said quietly.  
"You. Leave," Sei-chan said to Shun.  
"Eh?"  
"No! Leave him," I shouted, grasping his shirt's sleeve. The redhead narrowed his eyes and sighed.  
"We leave in two hours,"  
"Wha-? Two?! No! I don't want to leave!" I cried.  
"What did I say last time?" he growled as he walked over and grabbed my shirt. I cried, remembering Tecchan's story of  
everyone. How Seijuro became cold..  
"No.." I cried louder. I sobbed now, thinking I'd have to leave behind everything I love again.  
"I will not have you become a destructive delinquent again," he warned.  
"I won't!" I promised. Shun was watching from the sidelines and his eyes widened as he heard this.  
"You were a delinquent?" Shun asked.  
"Not really.. I just got into physical fights often. During grade school. Everytime I had a fight, I would win, but I would never remember what happened after usually passing out."  
"What? You don't want to leave for him? Your boyfriend? You're a teenager. You'll change your mind with time, you'll get  
over him!"  
"Seijuro, the thing everyone won't tell me.. It's a marriage between us, isn't it?" I asked.  
"Who told you?"  
I looked up at him, surprised I had actually figured it out.  
"No one," I said.  
"You're getting married to him?" Shun asked, an upset look on his face. I smiled sadly and cupped his face in my hands,  
resting my forehead on his once more.  
"Yes.. I love you, Shun. Don't forget about me," I smiled.  
"Wait, that sounds an awful lot like a goodbye," he said, voice trembling.  
"Maybe it is," I said, stroking his cheek.  
"No.. i don't care if we have to break up, don't leave!" he said, shaking. I hugged him, tried to calm him.  
"No! I'll trade it! Our relationship for you to stay! I don't want you to leave me, please..." he begged.  
I looked around quickly, finding my ring still on the chain on a table. I reached over and took it off the chain, putting the  
ring on.  
"Look, this will be something that'll help me remember you. And these," i pointed to my earring.  
"Stop.." He begged, his face wet with tears. I kissed his tears forming in his eyes and he flinched.  
"Shun.."  
"Stop..!"  
"I love you.."  
"No! Stop it.."  
"and I always will.. That is my promise to you," I finally finished. I looked at Sei-chan and he watched as I got up from the  
bed, limping towards him and to the door.  
"Akira!" Shun grabbed my hand. I turned around to see his crying face.  
"Shun.." I whispered, holding his face in one hand.  
"Please? Please don't leave.." He begged again.  
"I.. If I marry to him, I cannot be like this. I must fix myself to be a proper woman as his bride in the future," I said.  
"You don't have to fix yourself if you're my bride! I promise to never love anyone else but you! Hey, Akashi! We've both promised, isn't that enough as proof that we'd love each other twenty years into the future?!"  
"Shut up, you're annoying," he growled as he grabbed my hand and walked off quickly.

We walked the halls now, and I heard Shun calling me. I tried to keep a straight face, biting my lip and narrowing my eyes. As we neared the car, I let loose the tears that built up behind my eye lids.


	14. Chapter 13

Black Cat ch 13?

"This is very sudden, but please welcome Setsuno Akira," the teacher announced.  
"Thank you for having me on such a short notice.." I said quietly, but loud enough and bowed. I sat down somewhere near the front and had a mental sigh,  
digging through my bag.  
"Hey, Setsuno-san, where did you come from?" A girl asked.  
"I came from Seirin," I replied.  
"I see.. So, why did you decide to go there? I mean, Rakuzan is one of the top schools, and if you're here now, I'm sure you were able to come last year too,"  
she continued.  
"Well, I wanted to go to Seirin because I wanted to stay local. And a few friends of mine were going there," I explained.  
"Were you.. born with those colored eyes?" She asked.  
_"First of all, you mustn't show fear of having people look at your eyes. Embrace their stares, do not mind."_ Seijuro said during our lesson before school.  
"Yes. I was often disliked because of the color and brightness in grade and middle school," i decided to share.  
"Oh, that's unfortunate.. Well, j can assure you, there's almost no one in this class room that I know that would tease you harmfully just for that," she promised with a smile.  
"I hope so," I smiled back politely.  
"My name. It's Sawada Yui," she introduced. "Just call me Yui."  
"It's very nice to meet you, Yui, I hope to get along with you," I said.  
"As do I," she bowed a little and saw a friend, walking off to say hello to her.

"You should join a club or two," Seijuro said to me during lunch. He came over to my class to see how I was doing.  
"Join what?"  
"Do you want to be manager for Rakuzan? Their basketball team, I mean," he suggested.  
_"That's like cheating on Seirin.. But.. If it means being able to see Shun at one point.." _I thought.  
"Sure, why not," I agreed.  
"come after school. I'll wait for you."  
"As captain of this club and with the approval of coach, I appoint Setsuno Akira as manager of Rakuzan's basketball team."  
"Ehhh, a girl as manager? My dream! A cute one too!" A blonde said. I backed away a little, somewhat disgusted.  
_"Lesson two: if someone ever bothers you in a harmful or lecherous way, you must stand your ground, and not show weakness."  
_I stopped taking the step back, and looked at him with a blank stare with a bit of a warning. He seemed to get the hint and walked off. I sighed in relief, feeling a little guilty I had to start off like that with him.

"Coach, is there anything you'd like me to do?" I offered.  
"Hmm.. Nothing, really. You've already prepared towels and drinks. I suppose this isn't the first time you've managed a sport team," he observed.  
"No, I managed two other sport clubs before," I said.  
"Alright, the only thing I request of you is to become friendly with the other team members. You seem awfully withdrawn from them, as manager. Create a connection between them."  
"I will, over time, of course, if you will allow me the time," I said apologetically.  
"Why would I not? Hey, Kotaro! Watch it!" He shouted. I looked over and he dropped the ball, laughing his mistake off. I blinked, having an empty feeling in my stomach. I clutched it, frowning as I thought to my old team members.  
I watched my new team mates run around, shouting and laughing occasionally. I turned to see Seijuro having his own practice, not minding other people.

"Hello?" I said, picking up the phone.  
"Akira.." Shun responded.  
"Oh.. Shun.. I.. I can't talk with you," I breathed.  
"Just for a bit?" He pleaded.  
"I suppose, it'll be fine just for a moment," I said, checking outside my room, then locking it. Seijuro was now washing himself off from sweat of practice. I sat  
on my bed gingerly and laid down, the silky and expensive fabrics rippling with each slide of my hand.  
"Akira, when can you visit?"  
"I don't know.. My mother is still living there. She didn't tell me why, though. Maybe we can see each other if I visit my mother, at least," I thought.  
"I.. I miss you," he said.  
"Shun-chan, it's only been a day," I smiled sadly.  
"The thought of you no longer within reach is making me lonely," he confessed.  
"I am in reach, though. Shun, look at your right hand," I said.  
"Why?"  
"A ring is there, right?"  
"Yes.."  
"And there is a ring adorning my right hand as well. This will be my promise to always be within your reach. even if I end up marrying Seijuro. Even if we don't ever get to love each other properly again, we will never separate far enough to not be within reach," I vowed.  
"I'm-"

"Akira, who are you talking to?" I heard after a brief knock at the door.  
"Sorry, I must leave. I will speak with you again soon," I apologized formally to try to fool Seijuro.  
"Seijuro-"  
"Let me rephrase that. Why were you talking to him?" He stopped me from asking my question as I stared into his mismatched eyes.  
"I don't think just one day will allow me to get over him," I reasoned.  
"I don't care. You are not allowed to talk to him unless I give consent," he concluded.  
"But-"  
"This is for your own good," he said with a cold stare  
"How? In what way is this good for me?" I cried.  
"It just is. I am absolute, my orders are perfect. Do not oppose me," he warned with a raised voice. I bit my lip and pushed him out of my room, slamming the door in his face, probably almost hitting it. I sighed shakily as I leaned against the door and looked out my window.

"Woah, Setsuno-san, what's wrong?" Yui said to me as I sat down at my desk the next day.  
"Oh, it's nothing, really. Just a bit tired," I smiled.  
"Are you sure? Looks like somethings eating you alive."  
"It's nothing, thank you for your concern," I said.  
"Well, alright. If something's bothering you, you can tell me," she smiled. She walked off and sat down at her own desk as I sighed, my lack of Shun finally getting to me. I rubbed my arms, cold from the growing pit of emptiness in my stomach and I leaned my head on my desk.

"Seijuro."  
"What is it?" the red head glared at me, recalling to our dispute the night before.  
"I want to make a deal."

"Hey! Careful!" the coach tweeted her whistle before running over to the boy.  
"Izuki, what's gotten into you?!" she shouted. He grunted in pain, as a basket ball came flying into his head without him realizing.  
"Sorry.. I wasn't paying attention," he sighed.  
"Izuki, if this is about-"  
"It's fine." he said in a frustrated tone.  
"Take a break. You're distracted, and I think the last thing she would want is for you to get hurt," Riko said and she helped him up. The black haired boy left quickly, slamming the door behind him.  
He sighed, his face buried in his hands and he slid down the door, sitting on the ground. Izuki got up again, done with practice and shuffled to the locker room, digging into his bag, and called Setsuno. He waited for a good minute until he hung up, trying at least 10 more times, and threw his phone back into his bag. He started stripping, ripping his sweaty jersey off and putting on his other clean shirt, finishing himself up with his shorts into pants. He left the room with his bag, not minding to tell anyone that he had left and walked home.

"Setsuno! I think your phone is ringing!" Kotaro shouted to me. The team was running around the gym and I walked over to my bag, digging around until I found my phone. It was no longer ringing, but I found plenty of missed calls.

_"Shun.." _I whispered.  
"Do not call him back."  
I turned around to see a sweaty Seijuro, still panting from running, but not enough to exhaust him.  
"It is only polite to return the call," I said casually."You will not."  
"I will. What about my offer I made before? To prove you wrong in return to-"  
"I," he cut in abruptly, "will not be wrong. I am never wrong, and always win. I am always right."  
"I will prove you wrong," I challenged.  
"I can hardly wait," he said coldly and he glared. I returned the glare, but sighed, looking away, then looked back at him.  
"One visit. Until Sunday night. I will come back. I want to just spend at least one day with him properly before we part like this."  
"Fine.. Just once.." Seijuro said to himself. "Excuse yourself from practice, go home and pack your stuff."  
I nodded and quickly ran to the coach, telling him I was going to leave early. I arrived later at home, rushing to my room and gathering clothes. It was only a couple of days, so I only took about 3 sets of clothes with me, and as I left the house, I ran in Seijuro.  
"I'm coming with you, just to the train," he said.  
"I'm running to the train," I argued.  
"Then I will run too."  
I rolled my eyes and ran past him, sprinting towards the train, boarding it quickly and panting as I sat down, leaning back and waving bye to Seijuro outside the train. I felt a pang of hurt as I looked at him.

_"I've been so cold to him.." _I thought. I looked at him and gave a smile, a genuine smile and he looked shocked by my smile and he looked down, shielding his face. I settled into my seat, an old lady sleeping away next to me and a couple of people here and there. Staring out the window, I impatiently waited for my arrival there.

"Shun!" I shouted into the gym.  
"Eh? Setsuno?!"  
"Why're you here?"  
"Setsuno-san.."  
"Where.. Where is Shun?" I panted.  
"Izuki-kun? I don't know.. He went into the locker room but-" Riko said before I ran into the locker rooms. I didn't care if I was going to see someone half naked, I needed to see Shun.  
"Shun!" I called into the dark locker room. There was no one there, and I looked around, running back to Riko.  
"He's not here," I breathed.  
"What? Where did he go, then.."  
"Um.. I think he left.." Tetsuya said. I looked over at him and felt a feeling of being home again. The team made me feel happy, but seeing Tetsuya made me feel home again. Seeing Shun.. I need to see him..  
"He's gone home?" I asked.  
"I'm not sure. He's gone, though." He replied.  
"Alright." I said quickly before leaving. I stopped in my tracks and came to give Tetsuya a hug.  
"You were right.. About Seijuro.." I said quietly to him after he wrapped his arms around me. He looked down in disappointment and I let go of him then.

"Izuki-san!" I said in relief.  
"Setsuno-san? Why.. Are you here? Never mind that, come in. I'm sure Shun wants to see you," Shun's mother urged me in. I slipped my shoes off and I looked  
at her.  
"His room is over there, if you don't remember," she reminded.  
"I remember," I smiled and rushed off to his room. I knocked on the door quickly.  
"Who is it?" he asked lazily.  
"Shun, open the door," his mom said behind me. She smiled and told me to hush and I nodded.  
"Leave me," he pleaded.  
"I have a surprise for you.. We, I mean," she continued.  
"What?"  
"Just open the door, and you'll see. I promise it's something very good," his mother said.

The door slowly slid open and he looked at me, shocked, then looked me up and down.  
"Aki..ra..?"  
"Shun," I smiled.  
"Akira," he said again before clinging onto me heavily.  
"Oh," I laughed, his weight knocking the breath out of me.  
"I'll leave you two alone," his mom said and I looked at her, smiling my thanks. I turned back to the smiling boy above me and I giggled, pinching his cheek.  
"So cute," I said, nuzzling my nose against his. He hugged me tightly as if he was afraid I would leave him again. I frowned and hugged him back, wrapping my arms around his broad back. We parted shortly after, and we laced fingers together, staring into each other's eyes as our forehead rested on each other's.

"Shun?"  
"Hm?"  
"I love you," I smiled. He frowned, understanding now the point of this visit.  
"I love you, too.." He said, kissing me softly. I looked outside his window, stars already illuminating the clear sky.  
"Maybe it's time for you to sleep. I'll come again tomorrow," I suggested.  
"No!"  
"Shun..?"  
"I- I mean.. You won't leave, will you?"  
"No.. Just.. For this weekend, I'm here," I said.  
"Stay over.." He pleaded.  
"Shun," I blushed.  
"I want to spend these last few days with you.. You're here because you know we won't be able to see each other anymore after this, right?" he confirmed.  
"..yes.."  
"Please? Stay," he asked again.  
"Oh.. Only if it's okay with your mother," I bargained. He nodded and quickly left the room, and took a sharp turn to his left. I sighed, lying on his futon, inhaling his faint scent that was left behind on his sheets. smiling, I clutched his blankets in my hand, not wanting to let go.  
"She said okay," he came in a few moment later. I looked at him from my position, a bit flustered that he caught me rolling around in his futon.  
"Oh, sorry for this," I laughed.  
"It's alright. You'll be sleeping in it, anyways," he smiled.  
"No, no. We're not having this argument again," I laughed.  
"No, we're not.. I'll sleep in it too," he said softly. I blushed at his words, hiding my face in my hands and he walked over silently, pulling my hands away.  
"I won't do anything, I just want to fall asleep holding you," he said quietly, hugging me from behind and swaying around. I swayed with him, feeling my chest burst with love for him. Turning around, I looked at him, still in his hold, and hugged him back.

As we laid down later, after changing and brushing our teeth, he looked over at me, smiling while holding my hand.  
"Hey.. Shun, I want you to promise me something," I said, sitting up now and turned towards him.  
"What is it?" he asked, sitting up and turning towards me as well.  
"hm..." I pondered seriously yet I covered it with a laid back face.  
_"It's too early to ask.. so.."_ I thought.  
"In July," I started.  
"What about it?"  
"I want you to... go to the festival and wear a yukata. And send me a picture of you," I giggled.  
"What?!"  
"Please?" I asked.  
"No!"  
"Why not?" I frowned sadly.  
"Urgh.. Don't look at me with those eyes," he said.  
"But..."  
"Okay! Okay, fine!" he groaned, regretting it already.  
"Yay! It's a promise, then!" I smiled, holding out my pinky.  
"Fine.." he grumbled, but still locked his pinky with mine. I laid down, satisfied and he followed suit, not satisfied at all though.  
"Good night, Shun," I said, kissing his cheek and rolling over so my back faced him.  
"Good night," he said back, wrapping his arms around my waist.  
"Wh-"  
"Shh," he teased and nuzzled into my neck, falling asleep quickly. I frowned in embarrassment but glanced back to see part of his head and smiled. I sighed in content, feeling warm and fuzzy in my stomach, but fell asleep anyways.


	15. Chapter 14

Black Cat ch 14

I woke up groggily as I tried to turn around, but couldn't, my body being held in place. I turned around in alarm, but remembered that I had fallen asleep with Shun holding me. I smiled at the thought, glancing back to see him still sleeping away peacefully. I snuggled against him more, wriggling in his hold. He grunted, waking up a little and I froze, not wanting to wake him.  
"Akira..?"  
"Good morning," I said sheepishly as I turned around to kiss him on his nose.  
"What time is it?"  
"Uh.. About 7."  
"I'm sleepy.." he yawned, hugging me tighter.  
"Sorry for waking you," I apologized.  
"It's fine.. Now I can wake up to you an extra time, as well as fall asleep with you once more.." he mumbled as he fell asleep. I giggled quietly, resting my head  
against his chest and sighed, heaving out air. But I soon stopped, realizing what he really meant.  
_"He's lying to himself about being able to wake up to me..?"_ I thought guiltily. I looked at him and he had a sad smile on his face. I wriggled up, so my face was right in his and he opened his black eyes to meet mine. His gaze softened for a moment before I spoke.  
"Shun.. I can't stay any longer than today.. I can't.. It'll be impossible to part from you," I cried.  
"Don't, then. Don't leave," he said quietly, stroking my cheek.  
"I have to.." I whispered.  
"then.. Let's spend today to its fullest," he said before kissing me gently. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth being spread across my lips.  
"Okay," I agreed.  
"Let's go somewhere today," he suggested, smiling.  
"Really? Where to, then?" I grinned back.  
"Let's go.. Shit.." He furrowed his brows.  
"What is it?"  
"We have weekend practice today," he groaned.  
"Oo, sounds like fun," I giggled.  
"Not fun. At all."  
"Well, let's go anyways. For a bit, at least," I pleaded.  
"Why?"  
"I just.. Want to relive it again before I leave," I said.  
"Oh.. Alright, fine.. Practice starts in 40 minutes."  
"We should get ready."  
"Okay," he grunted, getting up and stretching a little. He raised his arms above his head, yawning. I smiled and tickled his tummy and he jerked, looking down  
at me, a shocked face worn.  
"Yes?" I asked, still smiling.  
"Oh, I see how it'll be," he grinned and he tackled me. He tickled my sides as he left me defenseless and laughing.  
"Shun..! Stop-" I said between laughs.  
"This is what you get," he said, his face centimeters away from mine. I looked at him as he still grinned mischievously at me and pecked him on the lips. He backed away a little, still shocked.  
"You're open..!" I said, pouncing on him and laughing as I tickled his sides and tummy now. He grunted playfully and grabbed my waist, picking me up easily and I yelped.  
"What's wrong?" He smiled.  
"Nothing.. I didn't know you could pick me up so easily like that."  
"are you trying to say I'm weak?" He challenged.  
"No... Maybe~"  
"I'll show you I'm manly," he said, pushing me onto the bed.  
"Oof!"  
I laughed as I landed heavily and he caged me in with his arms and legs. Looking up at him curiously, there was a look on his face I shook because of. He caressed my face gently, his fingers warm as they left tingling sensations across the areas he touched.  
"Akira.." he called so quietly, and there was a certain tone to it I couldn't help but to yearn for more of. He kissed me gently and pulled away quickly but not too far away. He had a slow and steady breath, as if he was afraid to breathe. Slowly, the black haired boy leaned towards me again, pressing his body against mine and closing his lips on mine. I moaned unconsciously, and he shifted to get a better angle. Once more, he parted, slightly out of breath and I stared at him, looking over every detail of his flushed face.  
"Shun? Don't you have to be waking up now?" A voice called out. Shun quickly climbed off me and stood up, his hand shuffling through his hair. His door opened soon after that and I still was laying on the futon, but I was starting sitting.  
"Oh, sorry did I wake you, Setsuno?" she apologized.  
"No, it's alright. I'm going to go to practice with Shun today, anyways," I smiled.  
"Okay. You can stay here for a while if you'd like. Or, do you want me to drive you home?"  
"It's alright, I'll go with Shun," I said standing up and holding his arm.  
"Alright, you two lovebirds," she chuckled. I smiled as I hugged his arm tightly. She slid the door until it clacked close and I looked up at him.

"I need to change out of my jammies," I said.  
"'Jammies'?"  
"Yeah."  
"But I need to change too," he whined teasingly.  
"I want to change in here, though."  
"Why?"  
"I want to be able to change in your room," I smiled. He blushed, and nodded quickly, leaving the room. I dug around in my bag for a t shirt and shorts, and quickly changed. I relished the feel of changing in his house, and I wanted to be able to feel it again, 10 years down the road. Sighing, I pulled the shirt over my head and the pants up to my waist.  
"I'm finished," I said and opened the door. Shun stood there, and looked at me, then smiled.  
"About time," he joked.  
"I didn't take that long," I muttered and he shuffled past me, opening his closet to find clothes. I stood at the door watching him find an outfit to wear.  
"If only.." I said quietly.  
"What?"  
"Nothing."

"Eh? Setsuno?"  
"Hi, Riko!" I said.  
"Why're you here? Not that I mind, but why?"  
"I want to come practice with you guys," I said.  
"Okay.. Suit yourself." She shrugged.  
"Do you have an extra set of clothing for practice?" I asked.  
"What? You want to practice with them?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well.. Okay? There's a set in my locker," she said.  
"Thanks."  
I went into the locker room, the team still changing into their clothes. I shuffled quietly to the locker, not minding them and quickly grabbed the clothes and left.  
Walking down the hall to a dim corner and changing swiftly, I ran back to the locker room to drop my clothes off.  
"Akira? Why're you in here?" Shun asked. I turned to see him dressed for practice now and I smiled, hugging him.  
"Akira?!"  
"Get a room," Hyuga said, pushing by us.  
"I just want to make sure everyone knows you're mine," I said.  
"No one else would want me," he laughed. "But they'd want you," he added.  
"But you want Hyuga.." I frowned.  
"What?"  
"You said that you'd confess to him two years ago," I giggled.  
"Oh.. I don't even want to bring that back up.." he laughed nervously.  
"But, two years ago was the year we started dating," I said.  
"That was also the year when we first slept together."  
"I remember that day.. I was sick and you stayed over," I recalled.  
"Yup."  
"Excuse me.." I heard someone say and I turned to see Tetsuya trying to get past us.  
"Sorry, Tetsuya," I said, moving. He didn't move, though, but looked at me. He seemed to almost say something, then changed his mind and he left.  
"Tet..suya..?"  
"I wonder what it is.." Shun said.  
"Oh.. Ohh... I'm so stupid," I sighed, guilty.  
"What?"  
"Tetsuya.. He.. Er.." I trailed, unsure of what to say.  
"What is it?"  
"Well.. The month I went to visit my father, and we were celebrating my birthday, two years ago, Tetsuya.. He kind of.. Confessed to me.." I said quietly.  
"Oh."  
"Yeah."  
"But you're mine," he pouted.  
"I am," I smiled. "But he probably-"  
"I get it," he sighed.

"Hey, pass!" Kagami yelled across the court. The ball landed in his hands heavily and he ran past to dunk. I ran to him and followed him closely, waiting for him to prepare to jump. Quickly, I ran in front of him and grabbed for the ball. He looked down, already preparing for me, and he moved the ball up to his right, preparing to dribble past me and dunk again. He spun around me and I hooked my arm around to scoop the ball from the tall redhead and he stopped as I ran away, running past Mitobe and quickly ran into Shun.  
"Not today, Akira..!" He said, guarding me.  
"Why not?" I smiled. I stood there and abruptly shot the ball in.  
"Wha-"  
"Today," I said again.  
"Setsuno-san.. Wasn't that.. Aomine-kun's formless shot at a Midorima-kun distance..?" Tetsuya asked as he came up to me.  
"Eh? I guess, but I've gotten a little rusty," I said sheepishly.  
"So, she has the same skill as Kise?" Hyuga asked.  
"No. She actually learns the skills. She doesn't just look and do," Tetsuya explained. I stood at the side, watching him explain me.  
"Wait, but didn't she only practice with you guys for a year?" Shun asked.  
"Yes. she learned our secrets and skills in just one year.. Even mine," Tetsuya said. I grinned at him, proud that I could actually learn their skills.

"Do you want to visit your mom for the rest of the day?" Shun asked me on the way home.  
"Um.. But I want to stay with you.." I said sadly.  
"I can stay with you, as long as it's okay with your mom," he laughed.  
"Really? You're okay with that?" I smiled.  
"Yes." He said, ruffling my hair.  
"Okay," I said happily.  
"Oh, but first, I gotta run to the store," I added.  
"For what?"  
"Um.. Private?" I asked.  
"Oh.. Sorry," he said.  
"No, no it's fine. Just uh.. Wait outside when I go in."  
I walked into the store, making sure I shun stayed outside. I walked to the back of the store, my confidence slowly withering away with each step.  
"I wonder.. If this is okay to do.." I thought to myself. I sighed, my determination back, and took a box.  
"err.. This?" The cashier asked.  
"..yes.." I murmured.  
"Alright," she shrugged.  
I left the store, the package in my bag and I looked at Shun, as he as still standing there, waiting patiently for me.  
"That was fast," he smiled.  
"I didn't want to keep you waiting," I said.

"Aki-chan?" My mother asked when we returned home later.  
"Hey, mom," I said with a relieved smile.  
"You're back already? And you have Izuki-kun with you."  
"Hello, Setsuno-san," he said to my mom.  
"Hello. Oh, come in, come in. I'm sure Kou wants to see you both," she said right before heavy steps began thundering down the stairs.  
"Kou!" I shouted, kneeling on the floor. He ran down the stairs and jumped onto me, his whole body weight on me. He was whimpering and nudging me with his  
nose and started whining.  
"Kou missed you quite a bit," my mom said. I looked back at him and he was staring sadly at me.  
"Sorry, boy," I smiled.  
"Aww," shun laughed at the scene.  
"Kou, go play with Shun," I said and pointed to the boy behind me. I stood up, sighing and waiting for my mom to say something along the lines of  
"The thing we didn't want to tell you about is that we're going to make you marry Seijuro, but we're sorry for keeping it for you."  
But first..  
"Mom."  
She looked at me, waiting.  
"I made.. A deal with Seijuro. But I need you to say it's okay.."  
As I was telling her, she listened and nodded, but frowned a little at the end.  
"Look, Aki.. Is this to prove him wrong or.."  
"Yes. And I want to actually-"  
"It's okay. I'm okay with it. I'll support you fully," she smiled.  
"Thank you," I smiled.

The next morning, Shun woke me up with a soft call of my name.  
"Hmm..?" I groaned.  
"Wake up," he said. I rolled over and looked at him, his bright black eyes beaming at me.  
"Morning," I smiled.  
"Good morning."  
"So, what today?" I asked, on my side and looking at him. He sighed a little, before speaking.  
"Well, I thought about maybe going out for dinner tonight. But for lunch, we could go somewhere. I know a good cafe.." He rambled on. I smiled at him, happily  
planning our day together.  
"So? How about it?" He asked.  
"Sounds great."  
"Okay~" he smiled too.  
"Oh, Akira."  
"Hm?"  
"My mom, she said she has to fill in on missing hours of work tonight, so she wants me to be home. Do you want to stay with me?" he asked a bit sheepishly.  
"Of course, I do."  
"Hurray," he laughed and hugged me. I smiled into his arm that wrapped around my neck and he kissed the side of my head. By now, it was already 1, and we started making our way to the cafe he was talking about earlier.

"Here it is!" he said at last.  
"Oh, yeah, this place."  
"You've been here before?"  
"Yeah, once. I think."  
"Good, isn't it?"  
"Mmhmm," I agreed.  
We walked in, him arriving at the counter first.  
"Hello! Welcome to our Cafe!" The cheery girl said. She smiled more as she looked Shun up and down. I narrowed my eyes at her, a bit edgy with the way she  
looked at him.  
"Hi, table for two, please?" he asked.  
"Sure!" She chirped and we were seated at a table near the window.  
"Is there anything you'd like to drink?" She asked.  
"Im fine with just water. Akira?"  
"Water is fine with me too," I tried smiling politely.  
"So, anything else?" She said, not even looking at me. She turned herself away from me to look completely at him. I twitched at her manner and sighed.  
"No, we're fine," he said again.  
"If you ever want," she paused inching closer towards him, every centimeter causing me to want to throw her into the wall. "You can have me as a meal,  
sweetheart." She winked at him and I laughed at her.  
"Maybe society has degraded because of the births of sluts like you, wagging your tail at men you don't even know. Do that outside the store and get yourself  
raped and killed in thirty minutes," I said, an angered sneer on my face.  
"Excuse me, I don't think I was talking to you." She scoffed.  
"You know you've nothing to say if you say nonsense like that as a comeback," I continued, a laugh still ringing through.  
"I don't care, you fucking yellow eyed freak," she laughed. Shun glared at her suddenly and stood up, his chair falling over with a loud crash.  
"Let's go, Akira. Wait outside," he looked at me and glared back at the girl.  
"Shun, just leave it. I can't wait to turn on the news to see this whore found missing or raped in an alley," I said and held his arm out to the streets again.  
"The nerve of that-" he started.  
"It's fine, lets go somewhere else," I smiled. He sighed, a scowl still present on his face.  
"Sorry for suggesting this place," he said.  
"It's fine.. Let's go to Maji burger, for the memories," I laughed a little.  
"Alright, then," he sighed, a little disappointed.  
"Are you not okay with it?"  
"No! It's just I wanted to take you out to somewhere nice, not a fast food place. But if you want to go there, then it's okay with me," he smiled.

I sat down at an empty table near a corner, sighing in annoyance as I thought back to that girl from before.  
"How old was she?!" I thought angrily.  
"Setsuno-san."  
I looked up to see Tetsuya looking at me, a milkshake, probably, in his hand.  
"Tetsuya? Oh, hi," I smiled.  
"Is something bothering you?"  
"How can you tell?" I laughed.  
"You seem agitated."  
"I am, a bit, to be honest. Some girl was-"  
"Akira who are you- eh?" Shun came back and jumped a bit when he saw Tetsuya.  
"Woah! Kuroko, when have you been there?"  
"Since before you two came in. Well, it seems I'm interrupting, so I'll take my leave," he said politely and I frowned, standing up to talk to him.  
"Tetsuya," I called out. He stopped, but didn't turn.  
"Tetsuya?" I called again.  
"Why..?"  
"What?"  
"Why are you calling me 'Tetsuya' again? Don't.. Please.. Don't tell me you've also changed yourself, like the rest," he said, turning around now.  
"I'm.. I'm not.. It's just that I'm going through a training of sorts again, so to make it easier, I must change myself for now. The way I think is still the same, but  
I only act differently."  
"Please, promise me," he smiled sadly.  
"I promise. I will never abandon you like they have."  
"Thank you, Setsuno-san. It means very much, coming from you," he said, a light blush on his face.  
"Tetsuya is still my favorite among all of you guys. Don't tell anyone though, okay?" I laughed.  
"I understand," he said with a small sigh. I quickly gave him a hug, wrapping my arms tightly around him.  
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning again. I'm glad I was able to see you once more," I said, my face buried into his neck.  
"I'm very happy you visited. Please try to visit more often," he asked.  
"I'll try."  
"Well, I'll be off now," he said and waved goodbye as he left the store.  
"Tecchan!" I shouted, running after him outside.  
He turned around, telling me he was listening.  
"Even if I'm at Rakuzan, my heart still belongs to Seirin. Don't forget! I won't turn my back on you!" I promised.  
"Thank you," he smiled again. He looked inside the store and I followed his gaze but saw nothing. He turned to me again, and hugged me this time. I was taken  
back at his gesture, but patted his back anyways.  
"What is it? You're never the one to-" I said, being cut off as he lightly kissed me.  
"Tecchan?!" I pulled away, a hand on my nose.  
"I'm sorry. I know I'm being selfish, but I just really wanted to.." He apologized sincerely.  
"No.. It's fine, but Tecchan, I already-"  
"I'm aware.. Izuki-san is your lover, right?"  
"W-well.. Yes.." I said, taken back at the term "lover."  
"Sorry.." he said quietly.  
"..it's fine. But, just please don't again. I don't want him to misunderstand anything," I sighed.  
"Okay. I'm off now, then," he waved goodbye at last.

I walked back into the store and saw that Shun was missing.  
"Shun? Where'd you go?" I called out, turning my head. I saw him standing somewhere else, looking out the window. He didn't look at me, though. I walked to  
him carefully and stood next to him, following his gaze. I mentally face palmed as I saw he was looking at the spot I was standing just now with Tecchan.  
"Shun, it wasn't-" I looked at him and he had a hollow scowl on his face. I immediately shut my mouth at his expression. At the sound of his name, I looked  
over at the counter, the worker calling over for him, our food ready. Quickly walking over, I picked the food up and brought it back over.  
"Shun, let's go eat," I said quietly while tugging his sleeve. He didn't say anything, but came to sit down anyways. Awkwardly, we ate in silence, as I was too afraid of what he may have been thinking.  
Later, we returned to his house and I sheepishly followed him in, unsure if he was still okay with me staying over. Still he said nothing to me.  
"Shun-nii!" Mai shouted. I looked at the neglected little girl as her older brother said hello shortly and left.  
"Setsuno-chan, what happened?" She asked with an innocent frown.  
"Shun is a bit upset with me right now. Sorry," I said.  
"It's okay! Shun-nii loves you very much, so I'm sure he'll forgive you!" she reassured. I blushed, but smiled a thank you anyways and left. Shun had decided to immediately go to bed, after showering and brushing his teeth.  
"Ah, Shun.. You shouldn't sleep while your hair is still wet," I said. He stopped and looked at me, a look of indifference in his eyes. I ignored it though, and patted his futon to tell him to sit. Hesitantly, he obliged as I left to get a towel from his bathroom. I came back, and was relieved to see that he was still sitting upright as I had asked him to. I kneeled behind him, towel in my hands and slowly massaged his scalp with it, drying his hair. His shoulders soon slumped, and I sensed him to be relaxing. After finishing drying his back half of his head, I moved to his front and I still kneeled in front of him. I lifted his chin so I could see his face, a sad look still worn.  
"Shun, I didn't know he was going to do that. I only love Izuki Shun, and no one else," I said quietly, stroking his cheek.  
"But.." he started.  
"But?"  
"Why do you always hug him.. and stuff..?"  
"Tecchan is a very important part of my life that no one can replace. And even though Seijuro is forcing me to part from you, he also is still important to me. You  
have a special place in my heart as well. Your own place," I smiled softly.  
"I.. I don't want you hugging him anymore.." He said, finally making eye contact with me.  
"Okay. Fine. As long as you forgive me?" I bargained.  
"Okay," he smiled a bit uncertainly. I hugged him tightly now, burying his face into my chest.  
"It feels different being the one on top," I comment as I rested my chin on his head and stroked his fluffy hair.  
"Feels different being the lower one," he agreed. "Not bad though," he said and I looked down at him, a mischievous grin on his face.  
"What?"  
"The view is rather nice," he teased.  
"Wha-" I blushed red and shoved him away. He laughed now, blushing a little, but still laughed.  
"What a pervert!" I shouted while smacking him with his pillow.  
"Sorry," he said, a smile still on his face. Leaning on his hands, he sat back and sighed, enjoying his good laugh.  
"Hey Shun, can I wear one of your shirts as a pajama shirt?" I smiled.  
"What?"  
"Can I?"  
"Sure.. But why?" He asked, getting up to fish out a shirt.  
"I just want to," I sang, pleased that everything was back to normal now.  
"Hm.. I'll let you wear it only if you give me a reason," he said.  
"Eh? Well, it's always the girl's dream to wear her boyfriend's shirt to sleep!" I sort of lied.  
"What, really?" He asked, confused.  
"Yeah!" I continued.  
"Oh.. Well.. Fine, then.." He muttered bash fully. I smiled in victory and received the shirt, holding it gingery in my hands. It was a plain black t shirt, probably  
the smallest one he could find.  
"Do you still wear this?" I asked.  
"Hm? Eh, it's kind of small on me, but still in good condition, though. Why?"  
"Can I keep it?" I smiled.  
"Why?" he repeated.  
"It's like wanting your second button of your gakuran," I tried to explain.  
"But.. We already have a ring?" he said, a little afraid that I might have forgotten about it.  
"I know, but it's different!"  
"Okay, okay! Sheesh, you're being so spoiled today," he said, pinching my nose playfully.  
"I want to be spoiled by you," I said, dragging him down to me. He landed heavily and grunted, but I pulled him further down until we both laid on the floor.  
Giggling slightly, I kissed his nose gently and he seemed to back away a little.  
"What's wrong?" I asked, panicking.  
"No.. It's just that, well.. Kuroko kissed you before.. So.." he tried to continued awkwardly.  
"That just means you have to kiss away all the Tecchan from me?" I suggested.  
"It's exactly what I meant," he said with an arched brow and smile.  
"Better start on it, his vanilla milkshake is still- mmf!"  
He had cut me off with a kiss, his lips slowly molding into a better shape to get deeper. I shifted my head to help, and he parted, coming back almost  
immediately. He shifted over, hovering above me, caging me in with his arms.  
"Shun.." I looked over at my bag and I crawled out of his hold, making my way to the bag. My heart pounded as I took out the box from yesterday. I looked at  
him and he was blushing completely red.  
"I want.. Tonight to be a promise that we'll love each other for life.." I said. "I don't even know how long I'll be gone for. Maybe even just a few months," I  
laughed. He came over to me, and pulled me over, resuming his actions, but with more passion and force.

I woke up later, still hazy from our earlier.. activities.. I blushed as I saw him still sleeping next to me, an exhausted yet content look on his face. I brushed the back of my hand across his soft cheek and kissed his forehead, still damp from sweat.  
"Hey.. Shun.. I know this was supposed to be our promise.. But I'll say it out loud anyways.." I whispered, crawling over him.  
"I want you to promise me.."  
_please..  
_"ten years from now, I want to be able to wake up like this.."  
_I'm asking you now..  
_"and to wake up, as an 'Izuki'"  
_won't you please..  
_"I want to enjoy a family of little 'Izuki's too and watch them grow old," I said, tears threatening to fall.  
_spend the rest of your life with me?  
_I sniffled, placing a light kiss on his lips this time and got up, walking towards my bags. I picked them up, seeing his black shirt inside. Looking outside, the sky was beginning to show signs of the sun rising, but the land was still dark.  
"I love you, Shun." With this last confession, I closed the door, watching his resting body slightly shift before the door shut. I shuffled outside, climbing into the car waiting for me and watched out the window as the house slowly disappeared. Watched as an oh so familiar person come running out of the house, and looking around frantically. Until the distance devoured him.


End file.
